Associated Press
Friday, March 16

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- J.C. Snead won't sit comfortably in the lead at the Siebel Classic in Silicon Valley.

After all, the man who designed the course is right on his tail.

	J.C. Snead, seeking his first win since 1995, had an eagle, five birdies and a bogey.

Snead set a course record with a 6-under 66 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Jack Nicklaus in the Senior Tour's inaugural Siebel Classic. Jim Colbert also shot a 68 in the first round at Coyote Creek Golf Club.

Though Snead carded the low score on the year-old course, the galleries and the buzz followed Nicklaus, a last-minute entry. In better shape and a better frame of mind after a disappointing 2000, Nicklaus thrilled his fans with solid play that featured several par saves and some strong putting.

He capped his resourceful round with a dramatic 35-foot birdie putt on the 18th, bringing roars from the crowd.

"I was worried that the golf course was too young to shoot good scores on," Nicklaus said. "I guess we proved that wrong today. It seems like the seniors chew all my courses up."

Five days after Colbert won the SBC Classic to become the 10th player to win a senior event at 60 or older, the super seniors were again in charge. Snead and Colbert are 60, while Nicklaus turned 61 in January.

Nicklaus, who couldn't break 80 at Coyote Creek the first time he played it last year, felt much more comfortable this time. Wearing a white sweater and tan slacks, he celebrated his final putt by punching the air with his finger and waving to the gallery.

"When those kinds of things happen, you feel 20 years younger," he said.

Nicklaus and Snead each had five birdies in windy conditions, but it was Snead's eagle on the fourth hole that put him ahead and gave him hope that his long run of mediocre play is ending. Snead hasn't won since 1995, though he made it to a sudden-death playoff at the Liquidgolf.com Invitational last season.

"I played consistent today for the first time in a long time," said Snead, the nephew of Sam Snead. "I've been shaky with everything this year. This is the first time I've played well in a long time."

Snead had back problems two weeks ago that caused him to withdraw from the Toshiba Senior Classic, and he's been having trouble sleeping. But after a minor adjustment to his swing in practice this week, he was feeling much better -- even if his trademark self-deprecation hasn't changed.

"I'm not a good putter, and I don't have a very good short game," Snead said. "All I can do is try and work hard, but it's hard to play when you're worrying about swing thoughts rather than playing the game. It's a never-ending experiment out there."

Hubert Green was three strokes off the lead at 3-under 69, with Dave Eichelberger and Jim Thorpe four back.

Approximately 5,000 fans turned out for the first day at Coyote Creek, where 24 of the tour's top 25 money-winners are in the field. Most praised the long, flat course, which also has faster greens and thicker rough than the average Senior Tour setting.

"On a course like this, you can blow it all pretty quick," Snead said. "There's some grass you can't even hit it out of. I need some of that for my cows back home."

Lee Trevino withdrew after a back spasm caused him to drop to one knee in the middle of his backswing on the 13th tee. Trevino was among the leaders at 2-under when he withdrew. Doug Tewell withdrew after his round, also with back troubles.