Hal Sutton, who has just one victory in the last 12 years, shot a bogey-free opening 65 to grab a one-shot first-round lead in the Greater Greensboro Classic at Forest Oaks CC in North Carolina yesterday.

Sutton, whose 1995 victory at the BC Open is his only USPGA Tour triumph since 1986, overcame wet conditions and rolled in seven birdie putts to grab the lead over David Frost and Chris Perry.

Sutton began on the back nine of the par-72, 7,062-yard course and had a run of four birdies over six holes. He closed with a flourish, sinking birdies of 10 feet at the par-three eighth and five feet at the par-five ninth, and birdied all four par-threes on the course.

"I like shooting 65. I hadn't shot one of those this year, so it was a pleasant surprise. But I thought we got lucky even to be able to play. It was awful wet out there."

Although Sutton has not won in three years, he has been near the top, posting three top-five finishes and collecting $453,928 in 1997.

Fuzzy Zoeller, Bob Estes, Brad Faxon and Scott Verplank all shot five-under 67s to lie two shots off the pace. Ireland's Richard Coughlan shot a two-over-par 74 on his return to USPGA Tour and was progressing steadily until he bogeyed the ninth for an outward 37. He had the same return for the homeward journey, where a birdie at the long 15th was more than offset by bogeys at the 12th and 17th.

Keith Nolan, the other Irish rookie, who was in the second last group, fired an three over par 75.