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Five share first-round lead at B.C. Open

ENDICOTT, N.Y., July 18 (UPI) -- Shaun Micheel, Tripp Isenhour, David Morland IV, Joe Ogilvie and Paul Claxton, each seeking his first career PGA Tour victory, carded 7-under-par 65s Thursday to share the first-round lead at the B.C. Open.

Of the five players, only Micheel and Ogilvie have top-five finishes to their credit. Micheel tied for fifth at the 2000 John Deere Classic while Ogilvie tied for fourth at the 2000 St. Jude Classic.

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With most of the top names on the PGA Tour competing in the British Open, the B.C. Open is reserved for second-tier players.

Among them is Morland, a Canadian who has missed the cut in eight of nine starts this year. He finished 70th in the lone event in which he got to play on the weekend.

Brian Wilson shot a 6-under 66 and is alone in sixth place, one shot ahead of a group of nine players. Among those at 5-under is Paul Gow, who lost a playoff to Jeff Sluman here last year.

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Sluman, a native of nearby Rochester, N.Y., endured a rough day, settling for an even-par 72 that left him tied for 72nd. A former PGA Championship winner, Sluman is the most recognizable player in the field. He captured the Milwaukee Open last week for his sixth career victory and returned to defend his title here after failing to qualify for the British Open.

First prize is $378,000 and the total purse of $2.1 million is the smallest on the PGA Tour.

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