Smith captures lead at St. Jude; Azinger second

Gil Morgan has a one-stroke lead at the Senior PGA Championship.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Chris Smith used some strong putting and a little creativity around the greens Thursday in shooting a 6-under 64 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the St. Jude Classic.
Smith, whose lone tour victory was the 2002 Buick Classic, needed only 24 putts in a six-birdie, bogey-free round that easily was his best this year.
"I got done, and John Cook said someone else was playing under my name. I'm not sure what happened," Smith said.
D.A. Points shot a 66. Paul Azinger and Tom Pernice were among only four golfers teeing off in the afternoon to crack the top of the leaderboard with 67s, and Azinger said winds gusting to 22 mph made the usually scoring-friendly TPC at Southwind a tough course.
"The pins were hard, the winds were blowing. It's obviously hard. It played hard," he said.
Nick Price, a two-time champion with five Top 10s at the TPC at Southwind, shot a 68 and was tied with seven others including Fred Funk and Mark Calcavecchia.
Defending champion Justin Leonard shot a 72.
Senior PGA
EDMOND, Okla. -- Playing on his home course, Gil Morgan shot a 5-under-par 66 to take a one-shot lead over playing partner Peter Jacobsen after the first round of the Senior PGA Championship at Oak Tree Golf Club.
The 59-year-old Morgan, whose home is within walking distance of the Oak Tree clubhouse, had six birdies on the 7,107-yard layout. It was the first full round he had played on his home course since October and his best competitive round there ever.
Jacobsen, who started on No. 10, used consecutive birdies on No. 5, 6 and 7 to move into second place.
Tied at 3-under 68 were: 2001 Senior PGA champion Tom Watson; Jay Haas, who has won his last two Champions Tour events; and Loren Roberts, a three-time winner this year who has yet to finish out of the top 10 in eight previous Champions Tour events.
Defending champion Mike Reid had an opening 71.
Wind, cited by many players before the first major of the year as a potentially decisive factor, wasn't much of one, staying mostly under 15 mph. But players did deal with significant heat: the daytime high of 96 in nearby Oklahoma City broke the previous record for a May 25 by 3 degrees, and in Guthrie -- even closer to the course -- it hit 100.
LPGA Corning Classic
CORNING, N.Y. -- Extra rest is making a difference for Nancy Scranton.
Scranton, who has 18-month-old twins, shot a 7-under-par 65 and was tied with Meena Lee for the first-round lead at the LPGA Corning Classic.
Brandie Burton, Kris Tamulis, Jeong Jang, Hee-Won Han, and Thai rookie Virada Nirapathpongporn were one shot behind.
Scranton, who didn't want to be reminded that she just turned 45, is one of 24 mothers on tour, and she couldn't remember the last time she was atop a leaderboard. Certainly, long before daughter Libby and son Luke were born.
Perhaps sister-in-law Jane, who has been baby-sitting, should take some of the credit for Scranton's surge.
"I've been getting more sleep," said Scranton, whose husband, Mark, is her caddie. "It certainly doesn't hurt, and I'm going to tell her that, too. You can't leave."
Scranton, who had only three rounds in the 60s last year, finished in a tie for 14th at last week's rain-shortened Sybase Classic after opening with a 69. Her best finish this year was eighth at the Takefuji Classic last month.
"I hit it quite well today," she said. "It's funny how sometimes when you have a really good day how easy it seems."
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