Scott shares first-round lead

IRVING, Texas - Adam Scott finally made it to Lord Byron's tournament. The young Australian looked right at home.

With the timing finally working out to accept an invitation from the tournament's namesake, Scott shot a 5-under 65 Thursday on the TPC at Las Colinas and shared the first-round lead with Steve Lowery at the Byron Nelson Championship.

''I made sure I got here this year,'' Scott said. ''I had seen Mr. Nelson at the Masters for the last five years and he always asked me. I always said I'd try, and I never made it. ... It's not guilt. But certainly out of respect for him.''

Despite a pair of threeputt bogeys in a three-hole stretch, Scott had the best round of the day on the 7,052-yard TPC course after a closing 11-foot birdie putt.

Lowery shot his bogeyfree 65 across the street on the easier 6,871-yard Cottonwood Valley layout, where Scott gets to play his second round Friday. There were 37 rounds under par Thursday, 24 of them at Cottonwood.

Uncharacteristic northerly breezes changed the way many holes usually play. Lowery, in his 15th Nelson, said players were ''hitting different clubs into the greens than we've been hitting most of the years.''

It was all new to Scott, but he still felt comfortable on the course.

''I didn't really know anything much about the courses here. I couldn't even get a little bit from the times I've watched (on television),'' Scott said. ''Funny though, I find them both similar to golf courses I grew up playing, similar in shape and the way the trees are out there.''

Bob Estes and Brett Wetterich both had opening 66s at Cottonwood Valley.

Australian native Nathan Green, who now lives in the Dallas area, was two strokes back after joining Tim Herron and Omar Uresti with 67s.

They were among 10 players only two strokes back, but they were the only ones who did it on the TPC course. Last May, the Nelson was

the first regular PGA Tour event to have the world's top five players in the field. Missing this year are the top three, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Retief Goosen.

Woods hasn't said when he will return after the death of his father, Earl, last week.