September 02, 2007	Sunday	Sha'aban 19, 1428

NORTON (Massachusetts), Sept 1: Colombian Camilo Villegas upstaged the game’s biggest names by signing off with successive birdies to forge two strokes clear in the Deutsche Bank Championship first round on Friday.

The 25-year-old rolled in a 12-footer at the 17th and narrowly missed a long-range eagle putt at the last before tapping in for a sparkling eight-under-par 63.

Villegas, bidding for a maiden PGA Tour title in his second full season on the circuit, ended a blustery day at the TPC Boston two strokes clear of Canada’s Mike Weir and American Ryan Moore.

Swede Henrik Stenson opened with a 66 to finish level with compatriot Fredrik Jacobson, Americans Heath Slocum and Brett Wetterich, and Australian Steve Elkington.

World No 1 and defending champion Tiger Woods, back in action after a two-week break, returned a 72 after running up a double-bogey six at the fourth where he needed three shots to escape a greenside bunker.

Villegas reeled off birdies at the third, fourth, sixth and seventh to reach the turn in four-under 32.

He then picked up further shots at the 12th and 14th.

Former US Masters champion Weir, hunting his first PGA Tour title since the 2004 Nissan Open, took advantage of teeing off in the first group of the day.

Of the other big names in the field of 115, Masters champion Zach Johnson and world No 2 Jim Furyk opened with 68s, Phil Mickelson and US Open winner Angel Cabrera returned 70s while Vijay Singh battled to a 74.

Players are competing this week for points in addition to an overall purse of $7 million and a winner’s cheque for $1.26 million.

Leading first-round scores:

63 – Camilo Villegas (Colombia).

65 – Mike Weir (Canada), Ryan Moore (US).

66 – Heath Slocum (US), Brett Wetterich (US), Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden), Steve Elkington (Australia), Henrik Stenson (Sweden).

67 – John Senden (Australia), Trevor Immelman (South Africa), Steve Stricker (US), Charlie Wi (South Korea), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Aaron Baddeley (Australia), Craig Kanada (US), Rich Beem (US).

68 – Matt Kuchar (US), Stephen Ames (Canada), Kevin Sutherland (US), Jim Furyk (US), Zach Johnson (US), Adam Scott (Australia), Rory Sabbatini (South Africa), Vaughn

Taylor (US), Brian Davis (Britain), Tommy Armour III (US), Bo Van Pelt (US), Sean O’Hair (US), Kenny Perry (US).

69 – Brian Bateman (US), Robert Allenby (Australia), Tim Clark (South Africa), Stuart Appleby (Australia), Cliff Kresge (US), Robert Garrigus (US), Arron Oberholser (US), Lucas Glover (US), Charles Howell III (US), Jonathan Byrd (US), Ryuji Imada (Japan), Charles Warren (US), Jeff Maggert (US).

70 – Will MacKenzie (US), Ken Duke (US), Geoff Ogilvy (Australia), Steve Marino (US), Dean Wilson (US), Bob Estes (US), Chad Campbell (US), Angel Cabrera (Argentina), John Rollins (US), Phil Mickelson (US), Joe Ogilvie (US), Jason Gore (US), Daniel Chopra (Sweden).

71 – Kevin Na (South Korea), Rocco Mediate (US), Stephen Leaney (Australia), Brandt Snedeker (US), Hunter Mahan (US), Jerry Kelly (US), Steve Flesch (US), Jeff Quinney (US), Woody Austin (US), Justin Rose (Britain), Troy Matteson (US), Tim Petrovic (US), Briny Baird (US), Tim Herron (US), D.J. Trahan (US), George McNeill (US), Brett Quigley (US).

72 – J.J. Henry (US), Pat Perez (US), Luke Donald (Britain), Justin Leonard (US), Jeff Overton (US), J.B. Holmes (US), Ben Curtis (US), Peter Lonard (Australia), Carl Pettersson (Sweden), Mark Calcavecchia (US), Stewart Cink (US), Tiger Woods (US), Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Nathan Green (Australia), Bart Bryant (US).—Reuters