August 11, 2007	Saturday	Rajab 26, 1428

TULSA (Oklahoma), Aug 10: John Daly fired the best round of his troubled season without even a practice look at the course but it was England's unheralded Graeme Storm who took the first-round lead at the PGA Championship.

Storm, a 29-year-old European Tour player who worked in a cream-cake factory when golf could not pay the bills, proved he was no cream-puff Thursday, firing a bogey-free five-under par 65 for a two-stroke lead over Daly after 18 holes.

Daly, the 1995 British Open and 1991 PGA Championship winner who struggled this year with poor play and personal turmoil, set it aside to fire a 67 at the seven million-dollar event.

Storm began on the back nine and birdied four of his first seven holes, then holed a fairway chip at two to swipe the lead but Storm could not steal the thunder from larger-than-life Daly.

Daly made three birdies on the front nine, added another at the par-5 13th but took his lone bogey at the par-4 16th, finding the rough and blasting out but missing a long par putt.

World number one Tiger Woods, trying to defend the PGA crown he won last year at Medinah and capture his 13th major title, birdied three of his first six holes but stumbled home to finish on one-over 71.

Woods, who began on the back nine, followed his early birdie binge with bogeys at 18, two and four. He pulled one back with a birdie at the par-5 fifth but was undone with bogeys at seven and eight.

US veteran Arron Oberholser, and countryman Woody Austin, shared third on 68 with Canada's Stephen Ames.

British Open winner Padraig Harrington, England's Lee Westwood, Australians Geoff Ogilvy and John Senden, Colombia's Camillo Villegas, Austrian Markus Brier and American Mark Wilson were on 69.

First round scores:

65 - Graeme Storm (ENG) 34-31

67 - John Daly 32-35

68 - Aaron Oberholser 33-35, Woody Austin 34-34, Stephen Ames (CAN) 33-35

69 - Mark Wilson 34-35, Camilo Villegas (COL) 35-34, Markus Brier (AUT) 37-32, Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) 33-36, Lee Westwood (ENG) 36-33, Padraig Harrington (IRL) 35-34, John Senden (AUS) 36-33

70 - Sean O'Hair 36-34, Retief Goosen (RSA) 37-33, Sergio Garcia (ESP) 37-33, Rod Pampling (AUS) 36-34, Pat Perez 36-34, Brad Lardon 34-36, Frank Lickliter 36-34, Lucas Glover 35-35, Scott Verplank 37-33, Justin Rose (ENG) 35-35

71 - Tiger Woods 38-33, Ryan Benzel 36-35, Brian Bateman 38-33, Niclas Fasth (SWE) 35-36, Bob Tway 36-35, Hunter Mahan 33-38, K.J. Choi (KOR) 34-37, Joe Durant 36-35, Jose Coceres (ARG) 35-36, Ian Poulter (ENG) 36-35, David Toms 35-36, JJ Henry 32-39, Anders Hansen (DEN) 34-37,

72 - Steve Flesch 36-36, Rocco Mediate 39-33, Heath Slocum 35-37, Ernie Els (RSA)

37-35, Colin Montgomerie (SCO) 39-33, Stewart Cink 37-35, Luke Donald (ENG) 37-35, Nick O'Hern (AUS) 35-37, Peter Hanson (SWE) 36-36, Richard Green (AUS) 38-34, DJ Trahan 35-37, Troy Matteson 35-37, Davis Love 35-37, Paul Casey (ENG) 38-34, Adam Scott (AUS) 38-34, Will MacKenzie 36-36, Kenny Perry 35-37

73 - Bradley Dredge (WAL) 35-38, Anthony Kim 37-36, Tom Lehman 35-38, Shaun Micheel 36-37, Robert Karlsson (SWE) 38-35, Tom Pernice 38-35, Ken Duke 34-39, Kevin Sutherland 38-35, Simon Dyson (ENG) 36-37, Liang Wen-chong (CHN) 37-36, Aaron Baddeley (AUS) 34-39, Thomas Bjorn (DEN) 35-38, Stuart Appleby (AUS) 38-35, Phil

Mickelson 35-38, Todd Hamilton 34-39, Mike Small 38-35, John Rollins 36-37

74 - Tim Thelen 39-35, Jonathan Byrd 38-36, Brett Wetterich 37-37, Corey Pavin 41-33, Denis Watson 35-39, Soren Hansen (DEN) 35-39, Bart Bryant 38-36, Brandt Snedeker 36-38, Zach Johnson 38-36, Michael Campbell (NZL) 37-37, Jeff Sluman 37-37, Robert Allenby (AUS) 36-38, Paul McGinley (IRL) 37-37, Rory Sabbatini (RSA) 37-37, Yang Yong-Eun (KOR) 39-35

75 - Gregory Havret (FRA) 38-37, John O'Leary 38-37, Dean Wilson 38-37, Charley Hoffman 39-36, Jose Maria Olazabal (ESP) 36-39, Tim Herron 38-37, Jim Furyk 38-37, Steve Elkington (AUS) 39-36, Henrik Stenson (SWE) 39-36, Trevor Immelman (RSA) 36-39, Charles Howell 36-39, Nathan Green (AUS) 39-36, Ben Curtis 38-37, Vijay Singh (FIJ) 38-37, Justin Leonard 38-37, David Howell (ENG) 39-36, Paul Goydos 39-36, Eric Axley 40-35

76 - Richard Sterne (RSA) 37-39, Boo Weekley 38-38, Fred Funk 40-36, Rich Beem 44-32, Shingo Katayama (JPN) 38-38, Raphael Jacquelin (FRA) 39-37, Jeev Milkha Singh (IND) 34-42, Billy Mayfair 38-38, William Amundsen 39-37, Brett Quigley 40-36, Vaughn Taylor 37-39, Ted Purdy 37-39, Daniel Chopra (SWE) 41-35

77 - Darren Clarke (NIR) 39-38, Bo Van Pelt 37-40, Chad Campbell 40-37, Steve Stricker 38-39, Mike Weir (CAN) 36-41, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 39-38, Kelly Mitchum 37-40, Joe Ogilvie 41-36, Toru Taniguchi (JPN) 39-38, Stephen Leaney (AUS) 39-38—AFP