Lewis leads but 'Ollie' impresses

Little-known JL Lewis made 11 birdies in his first-round 62 as he stole the spotlight from a host of major winners in the Funai Classic at Disney World.

Ranked 101st on the PGA Tour money list, Lewis was nevertheless not entirely satisfied, even though he outshone Jose Maria Olazabal, Vijay Singh and Tom Lehman.

“I should have shot lower,” said Lewis, who leads by two shots from John Huston, Mark Hensby and Scott Hend.

Spaniard Olazabal – a two-time Masters champion – was among a trio three shots behind.

Defending champion and world number one Singh, the only top-10 player in the field, made a smooth start. The former USPGA and Masters champion carded a bogey-free 66.

Lewis, 44, had a dream start with birdies at his first four holes. He also closed in style with four birdies in his final six holes, hitting 17 greens in regulation.

Olazabal is having a year to forget, so he was encouraged by a bright start.

He lies 148th on the US money list and in danger of losing his exempt status for 2005.

“My iron play has been pretty bad all year,” he lamented.

“I’ve missed a lot of greens, even from the fairway, and even on the greens I hit, I’m not giving myself birdie opportunities.”

Although happy with his start, Olazabal was not reading too much into it.

“I’ve been lacking consistency this year,” he said.

“I’ve put up good rounds and followed them with bad rounds. I’m looking forward to seeing if I can be more consistent the next three days and get myself out of this situation.”

Former Open winner Lehman continued his recent strong form with a 66.

Lehman has reunited with caddie Andy Martinez after they parted company in February.

“I was with him for 12 years and it just seemed things had gotten difficult,” Lehman said.

“My game just felt stale, and that wears on you after a while. I think it wore on him as well, and we got to the point where we weren’t talking much on the course.

“I wasn’t having any fun, so I made a change (but) I missed his friendship more than anything, so it was nice to get back and do it all over again.”