GOLF : Wolcott (67) Leads by One at Greensboro

Bob Wolcott had his day in the sun at the Greater Greensboro Open on Thursday, but not before Mark O’Meara and Chris Perry nearly caught his shadow.

Wolcott shot a five-under-par 67 that stood up through the 48 groups that followed him for a one-shot lead after one round of the $1.25-million tournament. O’Meara needed to make a six-foot par putt on the 18th green to tie Wolcott for the lead, but he ran it past the hole and settled for bogey to fall into a second-place tie with Chris Perry, one shot behind Wolcott.

If Wolcott had a cause for momentary celebration, however, he didn’t let it show.

“I got off to a good start, birdieing the first hole, and that kind of set the tone for the day,” said Wolcott, who transferred to the University of Georgia after one semester at Wake Forest, 30 miles away from the Forest Oaks Country Club course.

Wolcott has made nine cuts in 13 tournaments this year but finished no higher than 50th and won nearly $35,000.

O’Meara actually shared the lead with Wolcott after a birdie at 13, but he missed the green on his approach at 14 and fell out of the tie. The North Carolina native and two-time winner in 1990 got that shot back at 17 with a 30-foot putt before the letdown on the final hole.

Perry, son of former major league pitcher Jim Perry, had four birdies for his bogey-free 68.

Seven players were tied at 69, including Payne Stewart, Lanny Wadkins and Joey Sindelar.