Briton McDowell soars into lead with late eagle

NEW ORLEANS, Apr 28 (Reuters) Britain's Graeme McDowell spectacularly eagled his final hole to take a one-shot lead in the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

The 26-year-old from Northern Ireland holed out from 118 yards with a gap wedge approach at the par-four ninth to complete a sparkling eight-under-par 64 at English Turn Golf&Country Club yesterday.

Playing his second season on the PGA Tour, McDowell finished a stroke ahead of Australia's Stuart Appleby, the winner of last week's Houston Open.

''It was a pretty good shot, but I think the hole got in the way a little bit,'' McDowell told reporters of his dramatic finish. ''Still, I've been waiting for a round like this for quite a while.'' The Ulsterman, who turned professional in 2002, has missed six cuts in eight PGA Tour starts this season.

''It feels like you have wedge in your hand all day,'' McDowell added of a par-72 layout which, at 7,116 yards, is the third shortest on the Tour.

''The golf course feels awfully short and, if you are driving the ball well, you can really tear it up.'' BUNCHED LEADERBOARD Tour veteran Jeff Sluman birdied his last six holes for a 66 to share third place with nine others on a tightly bunched leaderboard.

Level with Sluman was world number three Retief Goosen, the twice US Open champion having mixed eight birdies with two bogeys.

Chasing his first tour victory since the 2002 Greater Milwaukee Open, Sluman is back in action after a month's break, having partially torn a knee ligament in a skiing accident.

''I'm as shocked as anyone that I'm up here,'' Sluman said after ending his round with a wedge approach to just two feet at the par-four ninth and a tap-in for his eighth birdie.

''I was hoping I wouldn't shoot 90 and embarrass myself.

''I hit a lot of good shots today. I just don't know what happened to get it going, though.'' Of the other big names, world number 11 Chris DiMarco and British Ryder Cup player Ian Poulter opened with 67s, and U.S.

Masters champion Phil Mickelson returned a four-birdie 68.

THIRD TITLE Left-hander Mickelson, who has not played since his two-shot victory at Augusta National three weeks ago, is bidding for a third title in a row.

Swede Jesper Parnevik and 2001 champion David Toms carded matching 69s and Ireland's Padraig Harrington bogeyed the last for a 70.

Britain's Lee Westwood, who won the 1998 title, was well-placed at three under with one hole to play but found water with his second shot at the 18th on his way to a double-bogey six and an opening 71.

With the greens receptive to approach shots after being softened by rain earlier in the week, 101 players in the 156-strong field broke par on the opening day.

This week's tournament is the first major international sports event hosted by New Orleans since the Hurricane Katrina disaster last August.

The hurricane, which hit Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, flooded 80 percent of New Orleans and ravaged the Tournament Players Club of Louisiana, venue for last year's event.

English Turn Golf&Country Club, situated on relatively high ground, suffered limited freshwater flooding from Katrina and hosts the Classic for a 17th time after a one-year absence.

REUTERS PM KP1006