GOLF ROUNDUP : Byrum (64) Leads by 3 at Bay Hill

Tom Byrum, whose only PGA Tour victory came last year, shot an eight-under-par 64 Thursday for the first-round lead in the $900,000 Bay Hill Invitational at Orlando, Fla.

Byrum, starting his fifth year on the tour, had a three-stroke lead over Larry Nelson, who shot 34-33--67 over the 7,114-yard course.

Four strokes back of the leader, at 68 were Andy North, Billy Andrade, Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal and Welshman Ian Woosnam.

At 69 were eight golfers--Fuzzy Zoeller, George Burns, Scott Hoch, Curtis Strange, Corey Pavin, Wayne Grady, Tommy Armour and Naomichi Ozaki from Japan.

Byrum, who won the 1989 Kemper Open, said he was lucky to come in at four under on the front nine, where he had two birdies and an eagle. “But I played real well on the back nine,” where he added four more birdies for a 32-32.

Byrum said he has been playing “like a roller-coaster, up-and-down, but mostly bad” this year. He’s been working on relaxing his grip on the club “and it seemed to work. I stayed relaxed.”

Two-time U.S. Open winner North overcame an early bogey and racked up five birdies in his morning round of 36-32.

Twelve golfers were bunched at two-under 70 on a partly cloudy day with little wind over the course, newly revamped by tournament host Arnold Palmer. Among them was last week’s TPC winner, Jodie Mudd.

Vicki Fergon, chipping in for an eagle on the 500-yard 13th hole, carded a five-under-par 68 to tie Cindy Figg-Currier for the first-round lead in the $500,000 LPGA Turquoise Classic at Phoenix.

Fergon is a two-time winner in her 14 years on the tour, but hasn’t won since 1984. Figg-Currier has never won a tournament in her seven-year career.

Betsy King, a 20-time winner who won this event in 1985, was one of six players tied for second place at 69.