Brian Gay, Briny Baird Share Early Lead in the McGladrey Classic at Sea Island

Gay's last PGA Tour win came at the 2013 Humana Challenge at the La Quinta Country Club in California.

Heavy fog allowed Brian Gay a quick nap, and he no longer felt so sluggish after traveling halfway around the world from Shanghai to Sea Island.

Gay had enough energy Thursday to make eight birdies on his way to a 7-under 63, giving him a share of the lead with Briny Baird among early starters in the McGladrey Classic. The opening round could not be completed because of a fog delay lasting nearly two hours.

Once the sun burned off the fog, the Seaside course was a pushover with virtually no wind. George McNeill ran off five straight birdies and was 8 under with two hole remaining. Will MacKenzie reached 7 under through 16 holes until dropping three shots in two holes for a 66.

The morning fog off coastal waters could not have been better for Gay.

"I was super tired," he said.

Players were told the round would resume when the fog lifted. Gay didn't want to stand around on the range. He also wanted to stay loose. So he took a chance by going into the locker room at Sea Island, relaxed in a leather chair for a quick nap and then warmed up for the second time.

"I felt pretty good when I teed off," he said. "I felt like I had a lot more energy."

The McGladrey Classic is the third event in Gay's most unusual itinerary -- four PGA Tour events in four weeks in four countries. He started two weeks ago at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia, and then flew eight hours to Shanghai for the HSBC Champions. He would not have played this week except that it's only about three hours from his home in Orlando, Fla., and he loves the Seaside course. And then he'll finish out the fall portion of the PGA Tour schedule next week in Mexico.

Scott Piercy and Boo Weekley also were in China last week, and each opened with a 67.

No one was as thrilled with the start as Baird, who is returning from surgery on both shoulders. Baird last played a PGA Tour event in 2012 when he started feeling pain in his left shoulder, and then his right shoulder. He tried a cortisone shot and rehab before he realized surgery would be required. He had the operations only a month apart, and then tried to return too soon by playing Web.com Tour events.

Finally, he's healthy enough to swing a club and even lift his shoulders over his head. He would like to think he's strong enough to lift a trophy over his head, though it's something Baird has never experienced. This is 365th start on the PGA Tour, and he still hasn't won.

It bothers him, though not as much as people might think.

"I'd probably rather be the guy that's won the most money and not won than the guy who has won the least amount and won once," Baird said. "When you hear that catch-phrase, that does drive you a little nuts that we're only out here playing for trophies. I kind of cringe at that because that's not true. Otherwise, we'd just be donating our money to charity and living in huts. So it's not entirely true."

One aspect about that is true -- Baird needs money to keep his full PGA Tour card. He is on a major medical exemption, meaning he needs $463,399 to reach a level that would allow him to keep his card the rest of the season.

Webb Simpson, who won in Las Vegas last month for his first win this year, was at 65 along with Kevin Kisner, Kevin Chappell and Seung-yul Noh.

Gay finished the HSBC Champions in time to get to the airport for a 6 p.m. flight home -- nearly 14 hours to Chicago, two more hours to Orlando, a short layover in between. He tried to relax Monday, but he has been getting up in the middle of the morning and figures he's a few days away from recovering from his jet lag.

There was nothing wrong with his game that a few long putts couldn't fix.

Gay usually has his caddie read the putts, but after he missed an 8-footer on the first hole, his caddie left that part up to him. Gay didn't use him the rest of the way, and he was helped by rolling in three putts from the 30-foot range.

"I wasn't feeling very good at all this morning," Gay said. "I've struggled the last few days sleeping and been really tried. But a nice day. Solid. Hit the ball nice, made a couple of long putts. Just a good day."

McNeill had a few fleeting thoughts of a 59 when he made his fifth straight birdie to get to 6-under with eight holes remaining. He missed an 8-foot birdie at No. 2, and when faced with a tough par-saving putt, he realized he should worry more about his next shot than his odds of breaking 60. He had to return Friday morning with 49 other players to finish off the round.

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Tiger Woods at 1-under after storm-delayed day in Turkey

Woods was unable to complete his round after the start of play was delayed for three hours.

Playing only 10 holes because of rain and flooding, Tiger Woods struggled with his driver and was well off the lead Thursday in the first round of the Turkish Airlines Open that was cut short because of fading light.

Woods and most of the field were unable to complete their round after the start was delayed three hours. He was at 1 under after 10 holes following a bogey on No. 9 in the next-to-last event of the European Tour season.

Paul Casey was at 7 under through 14 holes at the Colin Montgomerie-designed Maxx Royal course. Ricardo Gonzalez and Thorbjorn Olesen were the clubhouse leaders after 6-under 66s. Fifteen players finished their round before darkness halted play.

Organizers plan an early start Friday, with Woods facing a 20-yard chip shot over a greenside bunker for his third shot on the 11th when play resumes.

"It just gets dark so quickly and it's like someone just turned off the light switch," said Woods, who didn't hit a fairway until the 10th hole. "The air now also is heavy with moisture so the ball is not going very far compared to when we were warming up on the range and early in the round.

"But towards the end we were hitting about a half a club short. I'm still working on getting a bit of the rust out of my game, but then tomorrow is going to be a long day for all of us."

Woods started by making a 4-foot birdie putt on the first hole and then made another birdie at the par-3 eighth. His driver, however, was another matter.

His playing partner and Race to Dubai leader, Henrik Stenson, was at 4 under. Montgomerie was at par after 16 holes on the course he designed.

"It's a tricky golf course and it helps to have played it numerous times as it is one of those courses where you get a better feel for it the more you play it," Woods said. "However, looking back on my 10 ½ holes, I probably left a little out there and I see that 7 under par is leading at this stage, so the goal in the holes I have left in the morning is to pick up a few quick birdies."

Gonzalez had six birdies and an eagle mixed with two bogeys while Olesen had eight birdies with two bogeys. Three players, including Pablo Larrazabal of Spain, were two shots back in the clubhouse.

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Rickie Fowler shoots 63 to take lead at Australian PGA

Fowler started slow, opening with five pars, before making birdie on two of the next four holes before the turn.

GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) --- American Rickie Fowler had six birdies over his last eight holes en route to an 8-under-par 63 Thursday to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Australian PGA.

Fowler's round took some of the attention from Adam Scott's first tournament back in Australia as U.S. Masters champion. Scott, however, was sitting only two strokes back following a 65 after playing in the afternoon groups affected by gusty winds at Royal Pines which made low scoring more difficult.

The 33-year-old Scott was level with fellow Australians Matthew Ballard and David McKenzie.

Nathan Green shot 66 and was alone in fifth spot, a stroke better than Australian compatriot Jason Norris and South Korea's Kwon Sung-yeol, who shot 67s and were equal sixth. Richard Lee of Canada was in a large group tied for eighth with 68s.

Fowler started at the 10th and opened with five pars before making birdie on two of the next four holes before the turn.

"It was a good solid start," Fowler said. "A little bit slow on my front nine, but I just stayed patient and finally got a few things to go, made a couple of good up and downs."

Fowler said although the conditions were conducive to good scoring on Thursday morning, the situation could easily change. And it did.

"If the wind picks up this afternoon, like it started to pick up the last few holes, the course will dry out a bit and they'll play a little bit tougher, "Fowler said. "So tomorrow afternoon it's going to be a little bit different course than I saw this morning."

Scott is making his first tournament appearance back home since winning the U.S. Masters in April, the first Australian to do so.

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Purse to $10 Million for PGA Championship, Players Championship

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem (left) and PGA of America President Ted Bishop announced their purse increases together in a joint press conference from Sea Island, Ga., site of The McGladrey Classic.

The PGA Championship and The Players Championship will share the distinction of having golf's richest tournament next year by offering $10 million in prize money.

In a new spirit of cooperation, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem and PGA of America President Ted Bishop announced the purse increases Wednesday. That marks a 25 percent increase for the PGA Championship, making its purse the largest of the four majors. It was $8 million this year.

The Players Championship for years had the largest purse -- $9.5 million this year.

The announcement at Sea Island was part of a new collaboration between two groups that once were part of the same organization. Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus were largely responsible in 1968 for tournament players breaking away from the PGA of America because they felt it was more concerned with the club pro business.

Finchem said the idea was for them to work together toward a common goal of growing the game.

He said the PGA Tour would run public service announcements during its televised events to highlight PGA of America programs such as "Get Golf Ready." It also plans to feature PGA professionals in its weekly television shows and use PGA pros at tournaments to give clinics.

Bishop noted that Ryder Cup points are being awarded during the fall to honor the PGA Tour's new wraparound season.

"There's probably never been a better time of collaboration and cooperation between our two organizations since the PGA Tour and PGA of America split back in 1968," Bishop said. "I think that in a lot of ways, we're just beginning to scratch the surface in ways that we can really impact the game positively when we work together."

It also could give the two organizations a stronger voice over proposed rules changes.

Both of them were opposed to the ban on anchored putters earlier this year. The U.S. Golf Association and Royal & Ancient Golf Club eventually approved a new rule banning the way long putters are anchored starting in 2016.

"I would hope that together we combine for a powerful voice in saying that as changes are implemented in the future, they need to align with what's positive for the growth of the game and the business of the game," Bishop said.

Bishop argued that banning the way long putters are used will drive people away from golf.

Finchem said all golf organizations need to work together, understanding there will be disagreements.

"The fact that we didn't agree on an issue this past year-and-a-half should not temper in any way our enthusiasm for collaboration," Finchem said. "So we hadn't really looked at it from that perspective of having a stronger position, because who knows? We may not agree ourselves on something like a rule."

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Phil Mickelson to skip Humana, start 2014 season in Abu Dhabi

Phil Mickelson will play in Abu Dhabi for the first time since 2011.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Phil Mickelson is starting his 2014 schedule in the desert - not California, but Abu Dhabi.

Organizers said Tuesday that Mickelson will play in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on Jan. 16-19, the same week as the Humana Challenge. Mickelson is expected to make his first PGA Tour appearance of 2014 a week later at Torrey Pines, not far from where he lives.

It will be the first time since 2011 that Mickelson plays in Abu Dhabi. Rory McIlroy and U.S. Open champion Justin Rose also are playing the event.

Abu Dhabi is the first of three straight Europe Tour events in the United Arab Emirates. Tiger Woods has played Abu Dhabi the last two years. This time, he is going to Dubai to help celebrate its 25th anniversary.

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