Golf Roundup : Nelson Plays Home Course in 63, Leads by One

PGA champion Larry Nelson used strong iron play and solid putting to shoot a nine-under-par 63 for a one-shot lead Thursday after the first round of the $700,000 Atlanta tournament at Marietta, Ga.

Nelson, who makes his home next to the 18th fairway of the Atlanta Country Club course, held the lead over Bobby Wadkins, still seeking his first PGA Tour victory in his 14th season.

“I feel like I’ve been playing well all year,” Nelson said. “I just haven’t played enough. This is the first time I’ve played two tournaments in a row since the Masters.”

“That 64 came one round too late,” Wadkins said, alluding to the 1987 Atlanta event, in which he carried a one-shot lead to the final round but shot a 73 to finish seventh.

The field of 156 battered par on the hilly, 7,008-yard layout in sweltering 95-degree weather. A six-week period with only one day of rain has left the course with little rough to give the players problems.

Nelson took advantage of the lack of rough.

“I drove the ball not too well,” he said. “I hit only three fairways. But my iron game is probably the best it’s ever been and I’m putting better than I have since last August.”

Dave Eichelberger, winless since the Tallahassee Open in 1981, and Tommy Brannen, a local teaching pro, had 65s.

Juli Inkster, demonstrating the steady play that has resulted in six top-10 finishes in 13 tournaments this year, shot a four-under-par 67 to take a one-stroke lead over six players after the first round of the $500,000 McDonald’s Championship at Wilmington, Del.

Inkster, who won the tournament two years ago when it was played at White Manor Country Club in Malvern, Pa., had five birdies and a bogey in her round on the Du Pont Country Club course.

Inkster birdied all three of the course’s par-5 holes and is one-shot ahead of Deborah McHaffie, Jane Geddes, Patty Sheehan, Patti Rizzo, Dot Germain and Mei-Chi Cheng.

Thirteen golfers, including defending champion Betsy King and LPGA Championship winner Sherri Turner, were two shots off the pace. Also at 69 were Deedee Lasker, Laurel Kean, Kim Shipman, Lisolette Neuman, Margaret Ward, Kathy Postlewait, Jerilyn Britz, Lori Garbacz, Jo Ann Washam, Val Skinner and Nancy Brown.

U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange matched par with a 70 and finished the opening round of the $540,000 French Open at Paris five strokes behind leader Denis Durnian of Britain.