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Three share lead at WGC event

AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Hunter Mahan, Rory Sabbatini and Paul Casey shared the first-round lead at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Thursday with Tiger Woods only a shot behind.

Mahan, Sabbatini and Casey, three of golf's top young stars, were deadlocked after firing 3-under 67s at the Firestone Country Club's South Course.

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Woods, who has won this tournament five times, was tied for fourth with Mark Calcavecchia, Stuart Appleby, Boo Weekley and Arron Oberholser.

Kenny Perry, Justin Rose, Chris DiMarco and Paul Goydos were the only other players to shoot a sub-par score -- sharing ninth place at 69.

Mahan has been one of the hottest players in his sport this summer. He won for the first time at the Travelers Championship in late June and since then has finished no lower than a tie for eighth.

"I just mentally got a lot better," said Mahan, who tied for sixth at the British Open. "I stopped getting mad at myself. I took control of my game and the way I was going to play out there instead of letting the game control me."

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