Laird, Heintz lead in Greensboro

2008-08-14

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GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Ticker) - Martin Laird and Bob Heintz took advantage of their early tee times to gain a share of the first round clubhouse lead at the Wyndham Championship on Thursday.

Laird and Heintz, neither of whom has won on the PGA Tour, plundered Sedgefield in calm conditions to shoot 7-under-par 63, one stroke better than Scott Sterling with half the field back in the clubhouse.

Laird, a native of Scotland who came to the United States eight years ago on a golf scholarship at Colorado State, was boosted by an eagle at the par-4 13th, where he holed out from the rough with a wedge from 116 yards.

Heintz, meanwhile, made a great start with five birdies in his first eight holes. He bogeyed his ninth hole, the demanding par-4 18th, before bouncing back with three birdies on his inward half.

“It wasn’t perfect golf,” Heintz said. “It was well managed and if you had to pinpoint something, it was distance control. When I was uncomfortable with a certain hole location, I just hit the ball in the middle of the green to give myself an easy two-putt.”

World No. 5 Vijay Singh, the highest-ranked player in a relatively sparse field, carded a 69.

The tournament, previously known as the Greater Greensboro Open, was first held in 1938. It has returned to Sedgefield this year for the first time since 1976.