Tway and Flesch share lead at Las Vegas Open

LOS ANGELES, Oct 13 (Reuters) American veterans Bob Tway and Steve Flesch returned bogey-free eight-under-par rounds at different courses to share the first-round lead at the Las Vegas Open.

Tway, winner in Las Vegas in 1990 but with just one top 25 finish this season, carded his best round of the year at the TPC Canyons -- one of two courses being used at the 4 million dollar event.

Playing the back nine first, Tway got his round off to a quiet start with a single birdie on his opening eight holes.

But the 1986 PGA champion caught fire heading into the turn, carding birdies on seven of his final 10 holes.

Flesch, coming off a third-place finish at last week's Greensboro Open, continued his good form by mixing six birdies with an eagle on the par-five third for an eight-under 64 at the TPC Summerlin.

Lurking one shot back at seven-under is a chasing pack of four Americans, including rookie Bubba Dickerson, 2002 PGA champion Rich Beem, Patrick Sheehan and Will MacKenzie.

Dickerson, Beem and Sheehan also produced error-free efforts while MacKenzie's card featured the lone bogey among the top six names on the leaderboard.

World number two Jim Furyk, a three-time winner in the Nevada desert, also had a bogey-free day but could manage only three birdies for a three-under 68 to sit five shots off the pace.

Wes Short Jr. opened the defence of his Las Vegas title with a four-under 68 at the TPC Summerlin.

Briton David Howell and American Chris DiMarco, the only other players ranked among the world's top 20 at 14 and 15 respectively, had stuttering starts.

Howell, playing at Summerlin, returned a two-under 70 while DiMarco settled for a one-under 70 at the Canyons.

REUTERS DH PM0721