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ESPN NETWORK:
ESPN.COM | NFL.COM | NBA.COM | NASCAR ONLINE | ABCSPORTS | FANTASY | THE STORE | INSIDER
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Duo leads scoring assault Associated Press April 15 5:24pm ET | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- Steve Flesch and Jeff Maggert fired 6-under-par 65s on Thursday to share the first-round lead in the $2.5 million MCI Classic at the windswept Harbour Town Golf Links.
Per-Ulrik Johansson, Steve Pate, Scott Hoch and John Cook were a shot back. Defending champion and four-time MCI Classic winner Davis Love III was three strokes off the pace. Tiger Woods, playing in his first MCI Classic, notched a 1-under-par 70 while Greg Norman, in contention until the last few holes of last week's Masters, double-bogeyed consecutive holes on the front nine for a 3-over-par 74. Wind swept along the three Harbour Town holes facing Calibogue Sound and swirled around the mossy oaks that shelter the rest of the 6,916-yard layout. The 18th, leading to the famous Harbour Town lighthouse, was downwind -- "down hurricane," said Flesch, last year's tour rookie of the year. "This afternoon it was really whipping and made those exposed holes that much more difficult," Cook said. "It was tough." "When it is windy like this, it is very difficult to tell the direction," said Maggert, who won $1 million earlier this year in the World Golf Championships Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship but didn't make the cut at The Masters. "The greens are very small, so it's tough to hit the greens when the wind is blowing like this," he said. "I was a little surprised. I thought the scores were pretty good this morning." The two low scores came during the morning round. The holes facing the sound are like links courses and the wind can be judged, Johansson said. "But on the 15 other holes, it is in the trees," with the wind swirling. Flesch said he hoped the round would mean a change in his fortunes. The fates have not been kind to him in recent weeks. First his clubs were stolen in Phoenix and then, about six weeks ago, he fell at home, injuring his elbow. "I'm pretty athletic, pretty agile -- never had any serious injuries that were golf-related," said Flesch, who wore a tennis brace below his right elbow. "This is the only thing that held me out." Flesch was not supposed to return to action until this week but doctors cleared him to play early and he returned for The Players Championship three weeks ago. "It was probably a little bit soon," he said. "I went down, played Sawgrass, shot a million -- shot 156 or something -- but I was just glad to be back out." Thursday was Flesch's first tournament at Harbour Town.
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