Wilson out in front in New Orleans

Dean Wilson reaped the benefits of a break as he claimed the early lead at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with a first-round 66.

Wilson led by one at six-under-par from Briny Baird, Chez Reavie and Peter Lonard while four players, including Steve Elkington, were two strokes behind.

It was Wilson’s best round of the year and came after he had followed playing for eight out of nine weeks with a fortnight off.

“I’ve struggled a little bit,” said the American. “I took a couple of weeks off and just went home and tried to clear my brain and just play golf rather than maybe sit on the range and fiddle with my swing.”

Wilson started well with a birdie at the first hole and finished strongly in the windy conditions with three more birdies in the last four holes.

Those with either early-morning tee times or late start times seemed to enjoy the best of the weather as the wind was at its worst from mid-morning to early afternoon.

Wilson, Baird, Reavie and Lonard all teed off after noon, while three of the five golfers two strokes back started before 7.30am local time.

Baird produced one fine shot on the difficult sixth when he deliberately hit a five wood low. It landed before the green and rolled about 30 feet into the hole.

“Being a little thin, it stayed under the wind a little bit better,” Baird said. “It was going to be a really small five wood and the way it came off you could tell it was going to be good.”

It gave Baird a share of the lead and a birdie on the next hole put him at six under. He dropped to second when he made a bogey on his final hole, the par-three ninth.