Lowery Keeps Focus for 67

The easy part for Steve Lowery was his five-under-par 67 that left him one stroke out of the lead in the first round of the Bay Hill Invitational at Orlando, Fla.

The challenge was keeping his blinders on as he walked down the fourth fairway, past his charred and crumbled 5,000-square-foot-home, which burned to the ground two weeks ago.

“I made a conscious effort going up No. 4 just to not even look over there,” said Lowery, who finished one stroke back of Tim Herron. “It is tough going by there, but we are putting that behind us. I’m just really glad I was able to focus all the way through 18 today.”

Not that it was easy. Walking off the third green after Lowery converted the first of six birdies on the day, Colin Montgomerie asked, “Don’t you live around here?”

“I said, ‘Yeah, my house burned down two weeks ago,’ ” Lowery said. “He took a look at it and said, ‘Well, you’ll rebuild it better than it was before.’ ”

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Dawn Coe-Jones did didn’t miss a beat after an encounter with a swarm of bees, shooting a seven-under-par 65 to lead after one round of the Standard Register Ping LPGA tournament at Phoenix.

One stroke back were Tracy Hanson and Lorie Kane.

Hanson had a rare eagle-two on her 15th hole, holing out a 185-yard shot with a five-wood from the fairway, and tied the tournament’s nine-hole record with a 30 back nine. Hanson started at the 10th hole. Her 30 included a 50-foot chip on the seventh hole and a 24-foot birdie putt on the ninth, her final hole.

Coe-Jones and playing partners Betsy King and Leta Lindley were walking to the 11th tee box when people began yelling about bees in the area. They sought refuge at a nearby house.