GOLF ROUNDUP : Janzen, Dodds Are Tied at 66

Disgusted by his start and driven by the few goals he has left this year, Lee Janzen birdied eight of the last 12 holes Thursday for a six-under-par 66 that put him in a tie with Trevor Dodds after the first round of the Canadian Open at Oakville, Canada.

Janzen, who failed to give Ben Crenshaw a good reason to pick him for the Ryder Cup team, is trying to play his way into the Tour Championship with hopes of salvaging a frustrating year.

“It’s toward the end of the year, and I really need to play well,” he said. “It was good to get off to a good start.”

Dodds, a 40-year-old from Namibia who once played the Canadian Tour, felt at home Thursday, especially with an eagle on the par-five 18th by hitting a four-iron from 212 yards into about 12 feet.

“I like it here,” he said. “It’s my home away from home away from home. I think you develop some kind of expectation of playing well, and good things happen.”

The group at 67 included Steve Stricker and two-time Canadian Open champion Steve Jones. Ryder Cup players Jesper Parnevik and Jim Furyk were among those at 68.

Mike Weir, who last week became the first Canadian in 45 years to win a PGA Tour event on home soil, had a double bogey on the 11th and wound up with a 73. He has never made the cut in seven previous starts in his national open.

The start of the tournament was delayed 90 minutes because of rain, and while the scores were indicative of the soft, soggy conditions, it still required some skill to get the birdies.

Play was suspended at 7:49 p.m. with 21 players still on the course. They will finish the first round this morning.

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Se Ri Pak overcame wind, cold and a double bogey to shoot a five-under 67 for a two-stroke lead after the first round of the World Championship of Women’s Golf at Maple Grove, Minn.

Laura Davies of England shot a 69. Lorie Kane of Canada and Meg Mallon each had 70s.

Two-time defending champion Juli Inkster shot a 74.

The sky was overcast and the temperature was in the 50s most of the day, and Pak, last season’s runaway choice as rookie of the year, was unsure what to expect.

“I was very surprised today,” she said. “I knew when I teed off that it would not be that easy, you know, to shoot under par, because of the very strong winds, the cold.”