GOLF ROUNDUP : Nicklaus Has Lead in Tradition

Jack Nicklaus made only seven pars Thursday, but he offset a bogey and double bogey with eight birdies and an eagle for a seven-under-par 65 and a one-stroke lead in The Tradition.

Nicklaus is after his third consecutive championship in the $800,000 tournament, played on the 6,864-yard Cochise Course he designed at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Scores were low because of greens softened by nearly a week of sometimes heavy rain and the rules allowing players to lift, clean and place the ball in the fairway.

In all, 31 players in the field of 81 bettered par and 16 others matched it.

Mike Hill and J.C. Snead stayed close at 66. Lee Trevino was one of four pursuers two shots back at 67. Gibby Gilbert, Dave Hill and Dick Stockton also were in the group.

Starting on the back nine, Nicklaus bogeyed the first hole when he three-putted from 12 feet.

However, he went the rest of the way without a three-putt green, needing a total of 26 putts to finish the round and cast a cloud over the hopes of other competitors.

“He’s in a different category from the rest of us,” Snead said.

Jay Haas sank a five-iron from 196 yards for the first eagle in four years of tournament play on the tough 18th hole at English Turn and shot a 67 to share the lead in the $1-million Freeport McMoRan Classic at New Orleans.

The 18th, a par-four with a stroke average of 4.61, is the toughest finishing hole on the tour.

Seve Ballesteros, Chip Beck and Brad Bryant also carded 67s for the first round over the 7,116-yard course.

Six players were tied at 68.