Golf Roundup : Calcavecchia Is Off and Running With a 65, Leads by 2

Mark Calcavecchia, the dominant figure in golf this season, shot a seven-under-par 65 Thursday and took a two-stroke lead in the first round of the $1.3-million Doral Open tournament at Miami.

“I didn’t make a bogey, so that makes it a good day. A lot of good shots, a lot of good putts, a lot of good everything,” said Calcavecchia, who has won two of six events this year and missed a playoff for another title by a single stroke.

Some of the game’s leading lights found the chilly, gusty winds less than easy, however.

Jack Nicklaus, playing with Calcavecchia, struggled to a 78.

But he wasn’t alone. None of the current holders of the Big Four titles could break par 72 on the famed Blue Monster course at the Doral Country Club.

PGA champion Jeff Sluman shot a 75; U.S. Open titleholder Curtis Strange had a 73; Masters champion Sandy Lyle of Scotland took a 74, and British Open champ Seve Ballesteros of Spain had a 73 in his first American start of the year.

A trio of Texas buddies--Ben Crenshaw, Bruce Lietzke and Tom Kite--were Calcavecchia’s closest pursuers. Playing in a threesome, Crenshaw had a 67, Lietzke a 68 and Kite a 69. Wayne Levi was tied with Lietzke at 68.

The Women’s Kemper Open, already shortened to 54 holes by heavy rains at Princeville, Hawaii, could extend into next week if the rain continues, tournament officials said Thursday.

Rain has deluged the course at the Mirage Princeville Resort since Saturday, but tournament director Kerry Haigh said the regular tournament was still scheduled to begin today.

However, the forecast called for rain through the weekend.