Aussie O'Hern leads at Reno

RENO, Nevada - Australia's Nick O'Hern made the most of the morning's favorable scoring conditions, firing a seven-under 65 for a one-shot lead after the first round of the US PGA Tour Reno-Tahoe Open.
"Can't play much better than that," said O'Hern, who made six of his seven birdies from inside 10 feet (3 meters).
He had the only round without a bogey on the Jack Nicklaus-designed Montreaux Golf and Country Club layout, where Chris Riley was second on 66.
"Missed a couple of putts but every time I hit an ornery shot I got it up and down for par, so I kept the round going," O'Hern said.
Riley, a former star at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, had one bogey in his six-under effort.
He is one of seven past champions in the field, his victory here in 2002 helping him earn a place on the Presidents Cup team.
Will MacKenzie, the 2006 champion, was another stroke back on 67, level with Blake Adams and Briny Baird. Baird was one of just two players among the top 20 who had to cope with the tough afternoon winds and holed out from 100 yards for an eagle on the par-five second.
"The strength of the wind wasn't as bad as the direction of the wind," Baird said. "It would be complete different directions from hole to hole, so that made it tough."
Defending champion Matt Bettencourt birdied two of his first four holes and was two-under through six before a rib injury forced him to withdraw. O'Hern, Riley and most of the other players on the leaderboard teed off in the early morning.
"There was no wind," Riley said. "The greens were perfect."
The wind, combined with a number of elevation changes on the mountain course, makes it hard to calculate distances on the tree-lined course that sits some 5,500 feet above sea level.
"I do enjoy the fact that the ball goes a long way because I'm a short hitter," O'Hern said. "So it's nice to get the driving stats up. "I played well last week at the Greenbrier but had a cold putter. It was nice to finally get the putter warmed up," he added.
With most of the world's best players at Firestone this week for the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational, O'Hern is hoping he can join the list of players who have made the Reno-Tahoe their first US tour victory.
The 39-year-old Australian came close with a tie for second at the Booz Allen Classic in 2006.