Associated Press
Friday, September 1

ADA, Mich. -- Larry Nelson, coming off his third Senior Tour victory of the year, shot a 6-under 66 Friday to take a two-stroke lead in the Foremost Insurance Championship.

Nelson, the FleetBoston Classic winner last week in Concord, Mass., ran his string of consecutive sub-par rounds to 18.

"Coming in here, I felt like the guy who hit the most fairways and greens would have the best chance to win," said Nelson, who missed only three fairways and hit all 18 greens in regulation on the Egypt Valley course. "I hit the ball very well, but on the back nine I missed from inside 10 feet three times."

Nelson made the turn at 4-under after five birdies and a bogey, then strung together seven straight pars before closing with birdies on the final two holes.

"This course is a little more difficult than the last three we've played," he said. "I tried to take what it gave me, but you can't hit the driver on every hole because of the way the fairways slope. A lot of times you are better off hitting a 3-wood."

Lanny Wadkins, Frank Conner and Ed Dougherty opened with 68s, and 64-year-old Gary Player was another stroke back along with Jim Thorpe, Mike Hill, Allen Doyle, Brian Barnes, Terry Dill and Terry Mauney.

Dougherty was the tour's player of the month in August after a victory in the Coldwell Banker Burnet Classic, two straight sixth-place finishes and a tie for 11th last week.

He eagled the 534-yard, par-5 seventh hole.

"This is probably the lowest round I have ever played here," he said. "I like the heat though, so I hope it stays hot."

Nelson, who turns 53 next week, recorded the lowest first-round score in five years at this event.

A three-time major winner on the PGA Tour, Nelson is third on the 2000 Senior Tour money list with $1,773,355. He can move past Hale Irwin and closer to Bruce Fleisher with this week's $165,000 first prize.