Three lead after opening round in New Zealand

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CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND -- Canadian David Hearn and Americans Darron Stiles and Matt Bettencourt moved out to a share of the lead after the first day of the $650,000 HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship with matching 6-under 66s.

David Hearn had a bogey-free round on Thursday. (WireImage)

Leaderboard

HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship

Pos. Player Par T1 David Hearn -6 T1 Darron Stiles -6 T1 Matt Bettencourt -6 T4 D.A. Points -5 T4 Rick Price -5 T4 Dave Schultz -5

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The 28-year-old Hearn turned in a bogey-free effort at the par-72 Clearwater Golf Club, while the 34-year-old Stiles kept pace with eight birdies and a double bogey. Bettencourt, a 32-year-old native of Alameda, Calif., turned in a scorecard that consisted of six birdies, an eagle and a double bogey.

Hearn picked up where he left off in New Zealand a year ago, where his tie for 22nd place finish was set up by a tournament-record 7-under 29 on the opening nine holes -- highlighted by seven consecutive birdies on Nos. 2-8. His best streak on Thursday included four straight birdies on Nos. 12-15.

"I did everything well today," said Hearn, the winner of the 2004 Alberta Classic. "I drove it well, hit my irons well and made some putts. I gave myself some good looks and was able to convert most of them."

Getting off to a good start was music to Hearn's ears, after having missed the cut in his first two Tour events in Panama and Mexico. The week off before heading Down Under gave the Ontario, Canada native plenty of time to correct the mistakes he noticed in his game the first two weeks of the season.

"I typically get off to a slow start because I like to go back to Canada for awhile in the off-season," said Hearn. "But I didn't expect to miss the cut in both tournaments. I worked really hard on my short game during the week off and it paid dividends for me today."

Stiles, thanks to a red-hot putter, posted five of his eight birdies on the opening eight holes. Highlighting his day were lengthy birdies at the par-4 first hole (20 feet), par-4 seventh hole (30 feet) and the par-5 14th hole (35 feet).

"I got off to a nice start for a change," said Stiles, a four-time winner on the Nationwide Tour. "I got I hit the ball really well but the difference today was I made some really nice putts. It is always nice to see some long ones drop."

Bettencourt added his name to the list of leaders thanks in large part to a chip-in for eagle from 95 feet on the par-5 10th hole. He last played on the Nationwide Tour in 2004 and 2005, but has been on the Mini Tours the past couple of seasons and couldn't be happier with his start to the tournament -- or the season for that matter. He made the cut in his first two starts, finishing in a tie for 53rd place in Panama and a tie for 29th place in Mexico.

"Obviously I'm very happy with the way I played today," said Bettencourt, who hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation. "I'm really excited about this year and being back on the Nationwide Tour. I haven't been this excited in a long time."

D.A. Points, Rick Price and Dave Schultz sit just one shot back at 5-under 67. The three-time Nationwide Tour winner Points failed to play a practice round this week after a tie for 14th place finish at last week's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am led to a late arrival at the Clearwater Resort.

"I didn't have time to get in a practice round but this is the fifth time I've played here so I know where to hit it," said Points, who opened the day with a 70-foot birdie putt on the par-5 10th hole.

First Round News & Notes: 2005 U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell opened with a 2-under 70. Campbell is the 11th player to play in a Nationwide Tour event after winning a Major Championship ... 2008 Panama Movistar Championship winner Scott Dunlap and 2008 Mexico Open champion Jarrod Lyle both opened with a 1-under 71 ... The three leaders are hoping for a better result than previous 18-hole leaders in New Zealand. Since the tournament began in 2002, the first-round leader has never gone on to win the tournament ... The HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship is the third event of the 2008 season. Sunday's winner will take home a winning payday of $117,000.