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By Colin Murray
PGA TOUR Staff

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Butch Baird and Bobby Nichols fired a 7-under-par 65 Monday in blustery conditions at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa to lead the Demaret Division competition of the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf by three strokes after the opening 18 holes. Defending Demaret Division champions, Orville Moody and Jimmy Powell, are second after posting an opening-round 68.

Butch Baird gave his performance the thumbs-up on Monday. (Stan Badz/PGA TOUR/WireImage)

DEMARET DIVISION

FIRST-ROUND RESULTS

Team Score 1. Bobby Nichols/Butch Baird 65 2. Orville Moody/Jimmy Powell 68 3. Bob Toski/Tommy Aaron 69 4. Don January/Gene Littler 70 5. Miller Barber/Jim Ferree 72 6. Dow Finsterwald/Bob Goalby 74 7. Tommy Jacobs/Johnny Pott 75 8. Mason Rudolph/Ken Still 76 9. Billy Maxwell/Doug Ford 81 T10. Jack Fleck/Howie Johnson 85 T10. Mike Fetchick/Fred Hawkins 85 12. Gay Brewer/Billy Casper 88

The Demaret Division, for players aged 70 and over, consists of 12 two-man teams competing in a 36-hole, better-ball competition. The Demaret Division kicks off a week full of Champions Tour action at the 30th Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.

Baird and Nichols recorded seven birdies and no bogeys on the 6,177-yard, par-72 course despite wind gusts up to 35 mph. The pair went out in 4-under-par 31 and added birdies at Nos. 10 and 12, before playing the final six holes at even par.

"We played really well as a team today, but Butch really played magnificently," Nichols said. "He really hit some tremendous shots in this wind. I was really in awe of how well he played tee to green. I made two birdies and Butch made five, but I made some bogeys out there and Butch was right there to pick me up each time."

Moody and Powell, the two-time defending Demaret Division champions, would have been even closer to Baird and Nichols, but incurred a two-stroke penalty on the first hole when they were late for their scheduled 9:10 a.m. tee time. The teams of Bob Toski-Tommy Aaron (who shot 69) and Don January-Gene Littler (70) were the only other competitors to break par in the opening round.

The Demaret Division wraps up play Tuesday after 18 more holes of better-ball competition. The winning team will split $95,000 out of a total purse of $370,000.

After pro-ams on Wednesday and Thursday, competitive play resumes at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf on Friday morning with the first rounds of the Raphael Division team competition (ages 50-69) and the individual Legends Division competition. The winning Raphael Division team will split $120,000 out of a total unofficial purse of $430,000 while the Legends Division champion will take home $395,000 in official prize money from a $2.5 million purse.

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