Fabel, Looking for First Win, Shoots a 64

Brad Fabel, who hasn’t won a tournament in eight years on the PGA Tour, shot an eight-under-par 64 to lead the first round of the Buick Open at Grand Blanc, Mich., Thursday.

He has a two-shot lead over Australian Wayne Grady, who hasn’t won since taking the 1990 PGA Championship.

Fabel has been in this position before. His score, one shot shy of the course record, matched his start at the Phoenix Open last January when he wound up tied for 12th. On Thursday, Fabel, playing the back side first, birdied six of the first nine holes. He made his only bogey at No. 1 when he needed three putts to get down from 50 feet. “I hit a bad tee shot on No. 1,” Fabel said. “My draw wasn’t working.”

None of Fabel’s other putts were more than 10 feet.

Jeff Maggert, Bill Kratzert and David Frost were three strokes behind at 67. Also vying for the $180,000 first prize are Greg Norman at 68, Fuzzy Zoeller 70 and defending champ Brad Faxon 69. U.S. Open champion Tom Kite shot even-par 72, the same as Ben Crenshaw and Lanny Wadkins.