GOLF ROUNDUP Unknowns are leaders at 84 Lumber Classic

Michelle Wie shot 7-over 78 at a Nationwide Tour event.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
FARMINGTON, Pa. -- The weather was bad, the forecast is even worse. So, naturally, two golfers enduring mostly terrible years played near-perfect rounds at the rain-splattered 84 Lumber Classic.
Gavin Coles and Donnie Hammond don't have a single top 20 finish between them this year, yet shot 7-under 65s Thursday to share the first-round lead as scores were much better than the wet, breezy conditions.
A leaderboard filled with mostly unknowns looked more like one from the developmental Nationwide Tour than the PGA Tour. One stroke back were Brent Schwarzrock, Grant Waite and Michael Clark II, all of whom are No. 186 or below on the tour money list.
Lee Janzen, one of the few recognizable names close to the lead, was among a large group at 5-under 67. Mark O'Meara and Rocco Mediate were among those at 68 and British Open champion Ben Curtis was in a group at 69.
As the leading edge of Isabel approached the mountaintop Nemacolin Woodlands resort, a steady rain began falling and the winds picked up in the early afternoon, but scores did not drop substantially.
Slow greens
The 7,726-yard Mystic Rock course's wide and inviting fairways swallowed up accurate and errant tee shots alike, creating plenty of birdie opportunities on the undulating but forgiving greens.
"Yeah, you could throw it pretty much right at the pin with a 5-iron, maybe a 6-iron," Hammond said. "It makes it easier to get to the pin; the greens are really slow out there. It would be a lot more difficult if they were harder."
With nearly all the big names missing -- only one of the top 20 and 12 of the top 50 tour money-winners are playing -- many low on the money list are trying to take advantage and make a significant move.
German Masters
PULHEIM, Germany -- Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson tied a European tour record Thursday by shooting a 12-under-par 60 for a three-stroke lead after the first round of the German Masters.
He had a chance on the 18th hole to break the European record for low score, a mark shared by 11 players. But his 20-foot chip for a birdie sailed left of the hole and rolled another 12 feet.
Jacobson finished with 10 birdies and an eagle in excellent conditions at the $3.36 million tournament.
The best round on the PGA Tour is 59 by Al Geiberger (1977), Chip Beck (1991) and David Duval (1999).
K.J. Choi of South Korea was in second place at 63. He is making his debut on the European tour, not counting the British Open.
Darren Clarke was among five players at 65. He is trying to catch Ernie Els as the tour's leading money winner.
Jacobson broke the Gut Laerchenhof course record of 62, set last year by England's Paul Casey. Chasing his third title this year, Jacobson is enjoying a breakthrough year after no wins last season.
At the 13th hole, Jacobson already was 10-under. He began to close in on the record by sinking a putt of 12 feet on the 16th hole. He then made one from 15 feet on the following hole.
Jacobson failed to position himself for a birdie putt on the 417-yard final hole.
Boise Open
BOISE, Idaho -- Early relief and elation faded into frustration for Michelle Wie in the opening round of the Boise Open.
Wie, the 13-year-old who's playing in her second men's tournament in a month, opened with a birdie Thursday, then unraveled and finished with a 7-over 78 in the Nationwide Tour event.