Irwin ties course record at Valencia

VALENCIA, Calif., March 16 (UPI) -- Hale Irwin eagled his final hole Friday to complete a first round of 8-under 64, good for a two-shot lead at the AT&T Champions Classic in Valencia, Calif.

Irwin tied the Valencia Country Club course record -- set in 2001 by Larry Nelson and Walter Morgan, and matched by Joe Inman in 2004 and Tom Kite last year, when Kite won this event.

Isao Aoki shot a 6-under 66, to finish in a tie for second place with David Edwards and Jim Thorpe. John Jacobs, Loren Roberts and Fuzzy Zoeller are tied for fifth at 5-under 67.

Roberts set a Champions Tour record Friday with his 33rd consecutive round of par or better.

Irwin broke a 15-month winless drought in January at the MasterCard Championship in Hawaii, and has more Champions Tour wins than any other player.