Jang Is the Leader at Danville

Jeong Jang thought everything was easy in her record-setting opening round in the Longs Drugs Challenge at Danville, Calif. She doesn’t expect anything to stay that way.

Jang birdied four of her last six holes Thursday for a course-record eight-under-par 64 and a three-stroke lead over Karrie Webb and Lorie Kane.

Jang charged through the tournament’s new home on Blackhawk Country Club’s Lakeside course, picking up eight birdies with bogey-free precision that shocked even the seven-year veteran herself.

“I was surprised. I never think I’m going to shoot eight under,” said Jang, the 2005 Women’s British Open champion. “Everything was kind of easy. I wanted to hit a spot on the fairway, I did. I wanted to hit a spot on the green, I did. So I was kind of surprised.”

Kane and Webb shot 67s, and Lorena Ochoa, Jill McGill and Candie Kung opened with 68s. Defending champion Nicole Perrot was at three under.

*

Far removed from the Ryder Cup matches this week in Ireland, Europeans Justin Rose and Alex Cejka shot six-under 64s to share the first-round lead in the Texas Open at San Antonio.

Rose, coming off three consecutive top-14 finishes, had eight birdies and two bogeys on the LaCantera Golf Club’s Resort Course.

Bob Burns, Ted Purdy, David McKenzie and D.A. Points opened with 65s, and Dean Wilson, Shigeki Maruyama, Charley Hoffman and Cameron Beckman followed with 66s. Justin Leonard, the 2000 and 2001 winner, was three strokes behind at 67 with Bob Tway, Ryan Palmer, Frank Lickliter II, David Duval, Richard S. Johnson and Ryan Hietala.

*

Indianapolis businessman Mike Bell won the USGA Senior Amateur, holing an eight-foot par putt on the final hole to beat Tom McGraw, 1-up, on the Victoria National Golf Club course at Newburgh, Ind.