ON THE FAIRWAYS Thursday’s pro golf events

PGA Crowne Plaza Invitational

FORT WORTH, Texas — Johnson Wagner bogeyed two of three holes midway through the first round. That was only a small hiccup on his way to matching his best score on the PGA Tour. After his approach at No. 10 missed the green for a bogey, Wagner responded with three consecutive birdies, including a nifty up-and-down on the 611-yard 11th hole. He then added two more before the round was over to increase his birdie total to nine for a 7-under 63 and a two-stroke lead over No. 2-ranked Phil Mickelson and Brett Wetterich.

LPGA Corning Classic

CORNING, N.Y. — Nothing slowed Erica Blasberg, not even all the layers she was wearing. Blasberg shot a 7-under 65 on, a raw day more like early March than late May, to take a two-shot lead over Na On Min of South Korea and Karine Icher of France after the first round. If this is the final Corning Classic for 51-year-old Sherri Turner, who’s contemplating retirement, she seems determined to leave her favorite tour stop on a positive note. The 1988 Corning champ shot a 4-under 68, only her second round in the 60s in six events this year, and was tied for fourth with Na Yeon Choi, Sandra Gal, and 2005 Corning champ Jimin Kang. Paula Creamer, runner-up here last year and the only player competing with a victory in 2008, never got her game going in tough conditions and finished at 2-under 70, four shots better than defending champ Young Kim.

BMW PGA Championship

VIRGINIA WATER, England — Paul McGinley boosted his chances of a fourth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance with a 7-under 65 in the first round. The 41-year-old McGinley played a near-flawless round with birdies at each of the four par-5s for a one-shot lead over Robert Karlsson. Marcus Fraser and Louis Oosthuizen were another shot back at the 7,320-yard West Course, which was hard and bouncy after a recent dry spell. Charl Schwartzel, Daniek Vancsik and Garry Houston shot 4-under 68s.

Associated Press