Pavin grabs lead with opening 62 at Buick

CROMWELL, Conn. -- Corey Pavin made seven birdies and matched his career low with an 8-under-par 62 for a three-stroke lead at the inaugural Buick Championship on Thursday.

Bob Burns and Matt Weibring were second at 5-under 65. Bunched four strokes behind the leader with 66s were Fred Funk, David Peoples, Jerry Kelly, Jason Dufner and Craig Bowden.

Pavin started fast, sinking a 120-yard wedge shot on the 341-yard second hole for an eagle. His seven-birdie round included a 45-foot chip-in at No. 18 that brought a roar from the gallery.

His only stumble was a bogey at No. 12, when he missed a 10-footer for par.

Pavin matched his 62 at the Texas Open in 1990. It marked a season low for Pavin and the best round in his 12 appearances at the tournament formerly called the Greater Hartford Open.

LPGA Tour

KUTZTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- Laura Diaz had a run of five straight birdies and was tied for the lead with Jill McGill and Hilary Lunke at 6-under-par 66 after the opening round of the Wachovia LPGA Classic.

Hee-Won Han, coming off a runner-up finish last week, birdied five of her first seven holes and got to 7 under before making bogey at Nos. 15 and 16 and dropping into a nine-way tie for fourth at 5 under 67.

Lorena Ochoa, who earned her first LPGA Tour victory in May and is third on the money list, and rookie Mikaela Parmlid, the 2003 NCAA individual champion out of Southern California, also had 67s.

Tournament host Betsy King opened with a 68 at Berkleigh Country Club and was tied with Kraft Nabisco Championship winner Grace Park and four others.

U.S. Women's Open winner Meg Mallon is tied with 11 others after an opening 69, while Dottie Pepper, defending champion Candie Kung, 2002 winner Se Ri Pak, Karrie Webb and 14 others are four strokes back.

BMW Open

NORD EICHENRIED, Germany (AP) -- Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen shot a 6-under-par 66 for the first-round lead at the BMW Open.

Colin Montgomerie was a stroke behind and bolstered his chances of making the Ryder Cup team.

With wind, cold and rain keeping scores high, Goosen had eight birdies and two bogeys. At stake are four open berths on the 12-man squad to play the Americans next month in Oakland Hills in Michigan.

Montgomerie shared second at 67 with Australia's Peter O'Malley, England's David Lynn and John Daly, who had six birdies.

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