Morgan in Familiar Position

Gil Morgan led after the opening round at the Senior Players Championship at Dearborn, Mich., for the second straight year.

He hopes to stay on top this time.

Morgan shot a seven-under 65 on Thursday. His three-stroke lead over six players is the largest opening-round advantage in the 22-year history of the tournament, one of the Champions Tour’s five majors.

Morgan started last year with a 64 but went on to finish tied for fifth.

“You’d like to think that your confidence is high and that you’ve got a chance to go forward, but you know, sometimes you back up,” Morgan said.

Dana Quigley was in the group at four under.

The tournament is the 250th consecutive event Quigley has been eligible for and played in since 1997.

Also shooting 68 were 2001 champion Allen Doyle, Bruce Fleisher, Isao Aoki, Jose Maria Canizares and Mark James, Europe’s captain in the 1999 Ryder Cup.

Hale Irwin, the top-ranked player on the Champions Tour, was in a group of seven at 69. Defending champion Craig Stadler and Jim Thorpe are at 70.

The Senior Players is the first of three straight majors. In two weeks, the Senior British Open starts, followed by the U.S. Senior Open the following week.

*

Jose Coceres shot a nine-under 62 to take a one-stroke lead in the opening round of the John Deere Classic at Silvis, Ill.

Vijay Singh, the defending champion, never got going and finished with a two-under 69.

Singh, who leads the tour with three victories this year, returned to defend his title even though most of the top players skipped the event to prepare for next week’s British Open. Only six of the world’s top 30 players showed up for the Deere Classic.

*

Less than a week after winning the U.S. Women’s Open, Meg Mallon had a seven-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead in the first round of the Canadian Women’s Open at Niagara Falls.

It was a seven-birdie, bogey-free round and seemed an extension of her final-round six-under 65 Sunday when she won her second U.S. Open.

Gloria Park, Johanna Head and Kris Tschetter were at five under. Jennifer Rosales, Dawn Coe-Jones and Angela Stanford were another shot back.

*

Jose Manuel Lara shot a six-under 65 and was tied for the lead with Phillip Price and Eduardo Romero in the Scottish Open at Luss, Scotland.

Tom Lehman birdied the final hole and was among those at 67. Phil Mickelson shot a one-over 72.

*

Five-time winner Tom Watson has been forced to withdraw from the British Open because of a shoulder and arm injury. Fred Funk also withdrew, with no reason given.