Spieth ties for lead with late birdie

FORT WORTH, Texas - Masters champion Jordan Spieth made a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole with darkness falling Thursday, grabbing a share of the first-round lead at 6-under 64 in the rain-delayed Colonial.

Spieth just missed the green on his approach at the 18th hole, and putted from off the back right fringe. The closing birdie put him atop the leader board with Kevin Na, Boo Weekley. and Ryo Ishikawa.

Spieth opened his bogey-free round with a 25-foot birdie putt at No. 1, then started the back nine with a 22-footer at No. 10. He had a great chance for another birdie on the par-3 16th, but his 4-foot try slid by the hole.

Spieth, 21, Ishikawa, 23, and 2013 Colonial champion Weekley were bogey-free in their rounds. Na's only bogey came at No. 18 to close his first nine.

The afternoon groups started 2 hours, 40 minutes later than scheduled, but all 122 players managed to finish before dark.

Defending Colonial champion Adam Scott had a 72 that included three bogeys and a double bogey. He hasn't won since Colonial last year.

VIRGINIA WATER, England - Defending champion Rory McIlroy shot a 1-under 71, leaving him 6 shots behind leader Francesco Molinari at the BMW PGA Championship after a mixed performance he blamed on mental fatigue.

Playing for the fourth straight week, the top-ranked McIlroy failed to recapture the form that saw him surge to a record 7-shot victory at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow last week.

McIlroy had two birdies and two bogeys in his first five holes, missing a 12-foot putt for par at the first hole after failing to find the green with his approach. He went birdie-bogey-birdie from Nos. 12 to 14, and could not take advantage of par-5s on the final two holes.

"Physically I feel fine, but mentally I could feel myself getting down on myself out there, which is not something I have been doing the last three weeks," McIlroy said.

Molinari carded a flawless 65, closing his round with two straight birdies on the last two holes.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. - Massy Kuramoto's approach to the difficult Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort was simple.

"If I'm going to hit straight and hit the fairway, I can play 2 over, 3 over. I tried to play 1 over front nine, 1 over back nine," he said, grinning, with both index fingers upraised.

Kuramoto did even better than that in the first round of the Senior PGA Championship. He shot a 1-under 71 to take the lead.

Defending champion Colin Montgomerie, Billy Andrade, Barry Lane, Jean Francois Remesy, and Bart Bryant were a shot back.