KEY POINTS:
New Zealand golfer Tim Wilkinson shot three birdies to finish three-under and tied for fourth after the first round of the PGA Tour's Honda Classic in Florida yesterday.
The 29-year-old from Manawatu was left trailing Britons Luke Donald (64), Brian Davis (65) and Australian Matt Jones (66) after his bogey-free round and was one of five to card a score of 67.
A consistent round saw Wilkinson pick up birdies on the 3rd, 13th and 16th holes at the PGA National Champion Course at Palm Beach Gardens.
Joining him in fourth place were three-times major winner Ernie Els of South Africa and Americans Kevin Sutherland, Jimmy Walker and Brett Quigley.
Donald, who won the event when it was held at nearby Mirasol in 2006, also fired a bogey-free round.
"It was a very good round today for me. I really played pretty consistently throughout the day," Donald said.
"I already did a lot of good things around the greens and when I had my chances I took them. I didn't drive it particularly well. I need to improve that," said the 30-year-old, who found only seven of 14 fairways.
"Coming into this week I have high expectations. I obviously feel good enough to win out here but I am trying to feel like I am just going through the process of getting better every day and hopefully the results will follow."
Donald's other PGA tour win came at Annandale in 2002 and this is only the third time he has led a tournament after the opening 18 holes.
The highlight of Davis' round was the last of his five birdies, at the 16th, where he sank a superb 15m putt from the edge of the green.
"Any time you can make no bogeys on this golf course, you've done really well," he said. "Today was one of those days, things were going my way and I made the putts at the right time."
- REUTERS