OMAHA, Neb. -- Its never been so crowded at the top of the U.S. Senior Open leaderboard. When Tom Lehman chipped in from 45 feet on the 18th hole Thursday, he joined six others at 3-under 67 for the first round at the Omaha Country Club. There had never been as many as seven co-leaders after the opening round of the event. The previous record was five in 1997. "In one round, 18 holes, its like a sprint," Lehman said. "Over the course of four rounds, which is more like a marathon, things really do spread out. The field will thin out." Kenny Perry shot a 67 in the morning, putting together a solid start in his bid for a second straight win in a senior major. Michael Allen and Jay Don Blake also were 3 under after their morning rounds, and Gary Hallberg, Mark OMeara, Fred Funk and Lehman came in with the same score in the afternoon. The hilly 6,700-yard course took a toll on the field of golfers age 50 and older, especially in the afternoon as temperatures reached the upper 80s with a light breeze. The small and undulating greens browned up in the heat and proved dicey. "When you get tough conditions and youre playing good, you get rewarded," Funk said. "More than likely, the guy thats playing the best in these kind of conditions will be at the top. Hopefully, it will be me." Perry, who won the Senior Players Championship two weeks ago at Fox Chapel, Pa., made five birdies against two bogeys. The season points leader started on the back nine and had birdies on three of his first eight holes. He hit an 8-iron to within 10 feet on the par-3 11th, drove the green on the 312-yard, par-4 13th, and hit hybrid-pitching wedge on the 319-yard, par-4 17th and made his 15-foot putt. He birdied both par-5s on his second nine, but came away a bit disappointed after missing a 5-foot eagle putt on No. 6. "I took care of the par 5s today and drove it nicely, kept it in the fairway, kept it in play," Perry said. "Like I said yesterday, if I hit it in the fairway, I really like my chances on this golf course." Lehman, the 2012 Champions Tour points and money leader, overcame a bogey on No. 8 with three birdies on the back nine -- none bigger than the one on 18. His second shot came to rest in thick grass to the right of the green. He used an 8-iron for his chip and watched it roll downhill slowly into the cup for what ranked as the shot of the day. "The lie was a little bit squirrely," Lehman said. "The grass was growing against the ball so its easy to kind of not catch it cleanly. I took less loft and kind of hit it a little bit thin. Once it gets out on the green, its going to get down there." Chien Soon Lu, Peter Senior, Rocco Mediate and 2010 champion Bernhard Langer shots 68s. Colin Montgomerie, who turned 50 last month and is playing in his second senior event, was in a pack that was two shots behind. Defending champion Roger Chapman struggled with his putter and was seven shots behind after a 74. Tom Watson, who played with Langer and Montgomerie and drew the largest galleries of the day, struggled with his irons while shooting a 70 that included one birdie and one bogey. "I hit a few good shots today, but for the most part, my shots werent very solid," Watson said. "One good thing about it was that I got about the best score I possibly could out of my round." Fred Couples, coming off three straight runner-up finishes on the Champions Tour, had a 1-over 71. Couples, like others, had difficulty figuring out the speed of the greens. The recent heat wave has put stress on them, and warmer temperatures are forecast this weekend. "Theyre suffering," Lehman said. "And theres differing kinds of grass. Thats probably the biggest thing. Its not 100 per cent pure. So the heat affects them each differently, which is why you see that spotty stuff. That kind of makes the putts really not quite as true as you would hope for." Discount Nike NFL jerseys . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. http://www.nfljerseyschinastore.com/ . After Martin Skrtel put the Reds in front from close range at Stamford Bridge after only four minutes, Hazard hit back in the 17th with a superb strike. Etoo gave Jose Mourinhos team a decisive lead from Oscars back pass in the 34th. Wholesale NFL Jerseys Gear . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. Nike NFL Jerseys China . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. Record-breaking North Melbourne midfielder Brent Harvey has officially announced his retirement from the AFL at the Kangaroos Syd Baker club champion dinner.The 38-year-old, who made his debut against Richmond in 1996, hangs up his boots after playing a AFL/VFL record 432 games for the club he helped to win the 1999 premiership.Harvey scored 518 goals and played in 24 finals matches during a stellar career that saw him named an All-Australian five times.On an emotional evening, in front of a crowd of more than 900 people, North Melbourne skipper Andrew Swallow also announced hell hand over tthe captaincy for the 2017 campaign.ddddddddddddThe 29-year-old was first appointed captain in 2012, leading North to three finals campaigns in his four seasons, including two preliminary-final appearances in 2014 and 2015.The Kangaroos have yet to appoint their new captain and leadership group for next year.The club also paid tribute to Drew Petrie, Michael Firrito and Nick Dal Santo, who along with Harvey, werent offered new contracts at the end of last season. ' ' '
