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
First Published: Friday, October 01, 2010, 08:41