Closing eagle earns Haas share of Viking Classic lead

New York: American Bill Haas capped off a strong finish with an eagle on his last hole to earn a share of a six-way tie in the first round of the Viking Classic on Thursday.

Haas followed birdies on 15 and 17 with an eagle on the par-five 18th to finish with a six-under-par 66 at Annandale Golf Club in Madison County, Mississippi.He was joined atop the leaderboard by compatriots Bill Lunde, Ken Duke and Brett Quigley as well as India`s Arjun Atwal and Zimbabwe`s Brendon de Jonge. Atwal, who became the first Indian to win a PGA Tour event when he triumphed at the Greensboro Classic last month, fired seven birdies, including one on his final hole, and one bogey to earn a share of the lead.Starting on the back nine, de Jonge got off to a flying start with birdies on five of his first seven holes before a pair of double-bogeys at 18 and the par-four 4th. He answered that with a birdie and eagle over his final five holes. Bureau Report