GOLF ROUNDUP : Cook, Sick of Florida Record, Gets Well for Share of Lead

John Cook, who has a 14-year history of frustration in Florida, didn’t intend to play in the $1-million Nestle Invitational on Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill course in Orlando.

But he’s happy to be in the field after shooting a three-under-par 69 on a cold, windy afternoon that left him tied with Rick Fehr and Mike Allen on Thursday for the first-round lead.

Cook added the tournament to his schedule because flu forced him out of the Los Angeles Open last month.

Curtis Strange, one of six players a stroke out of the lead at 70, said the conditions made it difficult to score well.

“It played about three or four shots harder than usual,” Strange said after salvaging a great save of par on the water-guarded 18th.

Palmer, the 63-year-old tournament host, had a 73, a score matched by Fred Couples. Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman were in a large group at 72.

Colleen Walker shot a six-under-par 67 to take the first-round lead of the LPGA tournament at Phoenix.

Lisa Walters and Hiromi Kobayashi were second at 68.

There were seven players two shots off the lead--Robin Walton, Brandie Burton, Patti Rizzo, Dawn Coe-Jones, Kris Tschetter, Caroline Keggi and Dottie Mochrie.