Hayes leads by one at Disney World

J.P. Hayes opened with a seven-under-par 65 to lead by one.

Lake Buena Vista, FL - J.P. Hayes needs to make the cut this week to secure his playing privileges for 2008. He got off to a good start on Thursday.

Hayes opened with a seven-under-par 65 to lead by one over three players at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic.

The top 125 on the money list after this event get their PGA Tour cards for next season. Hayes currently stands 123rd on the money list.

Cameron Beckman, Scott Verplank and Ryuji Imada share second place at minus- six. Eight more players, including U.S. Ryder Cup fan-favorite Woody Austin, are tied for fifth at five-under-par 67.

With players competing with amateur partners for the first two rounds this week, players are rotating over the Magnolia and Palm Courses at Walt Disney World Resort for the first two rounds. The Magnolia Course will host the final two rounds.

Hayes started on the first tee at the Magnolia Course on Thursday. He got off to a flying start with birdies on the first two holes. Hayes birdied the fourth, but gave that stroke back with the only bogey of his round at the sixth.

The two-time tour winner started the back nine with back-to-back birdies to move to minus-four. Hayes parred 12, but came right back with a birdie on the par-four 13th.

Hayes made it two straight as he birdied the par-five 14th. After a pair of pars, he birdied No. 17 to take the lead.

“After the delay last week, I came out and almost played well enough to make the cut. I needed to make some birdies and I played great over the last five or six holes,” said Hayes. “It gave me some confidence. Then I came here and worked on my short game. Today the two came together and it was a good combo.”

Beckman, who stands 118th on the money list, also played the Magnolia Course first. He opened with an eagle on the par-five 10th. He came right back with a birdie on the 11th.

After four consecutive pars, Beckman sank birdies on 16 and 17 to move to minus-five. After nine straight pars from the 18th, Beckman birdied the ninth, his last, to share second.

Verplank and Imada both played the Palm Course from the first Thursday. Verplank notched two birdies over the first nine holes. Around the turn, he ran off three straight birdies from the 10th. Verplank’s final birdie came at the 15th.

“The conditions are just very sloppy,” stated Verplank. “It’s fairly windy, so it is a little tougher set-up than we’re used to around here, just because the wind was another 10 or 15 m.p.h. stronger than it normally is.”

Imada also made his move on the back nine. He turned in minus-two with birdies at one and seven. On the back nine, he birdied the 11th and 13th to get to four-under.

The 31-year-old Imada parred his next three. He closed with back-to-back birdies to end at minus-six.

Austin was joined in fifth place at minus-five by Justin Leonard, Jeffrey Overton, Dicky Pride, Tag Ridings, Jason Schultz, Tim Clark and Vaughn Taylor.

Defending champion Joe Durant is one of 14 players tied for 13th at four- under-par 68.

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