Americans Davis Love and J.B. Holmes held the first round lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational after posting six-under-par rounds of 66 Thursday. Sweden's Henrik Stenson and Canada's Mike Weir were both tied for third place, a shot behind the leaders at the recently renovated Bay Hill course. South African Ernie Els, fresh from his win at Doral, and in-form Australian Robert Allenby were both among the players two shots back from the lead. Love, the 1997 PGA Championship winner, started his round with a bogey but went six-under on his next five holes. “It was entertaining. It was one of those days that could have gone either way,” said Love. “Daniel Chopra was doing my scorecard with one of those pens with four different colours - I had all kinds of colours over my card. It was very pretty.” Neither Holmes nor Love have yet qualified for the Masters but a win at Bay Hill would resolve that issue. The 27-year-old Holmes, searching for his third victory on the tour, was bogey-free, and also free of the putting troubles that have haunted him, making a 25-foot putt for an eagle on the par-five 12th after great work with his five iron. “Overall it was a great day. I hit the ball well. I think I hit 17 greens, and I putted pretty well, too. I made a couple of long putts, and that definitely helped,” he said. “I was terrified before ... I'm more surprised now it's not going in, even on 30-footers. “I feel great with the putter in my hand. I feel more confident. It feels easier. I'm not as mechanical. I'm just going it more with my body and feel and touch, and it's just easier.” The Bay Hill course, run by Palmer's family, has undergone several changes this year with the greens re-laid and the bunkers enhanced. Although a number of players noted the bunkers had yet to bed in and balls were plugging into the sand, Love said the changes overall had been ideal. “I like what he did. I thin kit is a much more creative way to play golf and it is a great style for the fans, it makes it more fun to watch,” he said. World number three Phil Mickelson shot a one-under 71. Min leads Korean charge South Korea's Na On Min fired a six-under-par 66 Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the LPGA Kia Classic, the women's golf tour's first US stop of the season at Carlsbad, California. Completing her round before afternoon winds buffeted players, Min paced a trio of her compatriots atop the leaderboard, with Na Yeon Choi one stroke back and Inbee Park and Seon Hwa Lee on 68 with Scotland's Catriona Matthew. Min sank a 45-foot birdie putt at the par-4 13th hole. Japan's Ai Miyazato, whose victories in Thailand and Singapore last month made her the first LPGA player in 44 years to open the season with back-to-back titles, opened with a 74 to share 59th in her bid to become the first woman to open the season with three wins in a row. World number one Lorena Ochoa of Mexico fired a 70 to share eighth, one stroke behind Korean Kin-Kyung Kim and American Amanda Blumenherst, while US star Michelle Wie took bogeys on three of her last six holes to finish on 72. “I think it's just the greens. I felt I hit good putts and they just didn't go in,” Wie said. “I did pretty well. I want my irons to be a little closer. It was just hard putting. A couple putts were just going 10 different directions. There's a lot of improvement to be done.”
