STEVE JONES, the US Open champion, barely made it to the tee on time, but then fired a nine-under-par 62 to take a two-stroke lead over Nick Price after the first round of the Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Arizona yesterday.

Eight players were tied for third place at five-under 66, including Jesper Parnevik and Joe Ozaki. Tiger Woods was one of a large group tied at three-under 68.

Jones nearly missed his tee time after miscalculating the time it would take to walk from the range to the first tee. "I just rushed up there, then hit my three-wood almost out of bounds. Nearly whiffed it," said Jones.

"I ended up making a 12-footer for par. If I can make that first putt on the first hole, I can usually putt pretty well the rest of the day. And that's what happened." Jones ended with nine birdies.

Price made eight birdies and a single bogey, the result of a four-iron in the water on the 12th hole.

. While Mark McNulty maintained his run of consistent form with an opening 66 in the Wild Coast challenge yesterday, Irishman John McHenry carded a two over par 72.

"I was out in 37 and back in 35, and I'm still struggling with my gamer. I'm just not timing the ball terribly well," McHenry said. "On six, I knocked the ball into a bunker, bladed it out into another bunker and then two-putted for a double bogey. And that was the simple story of my round - 17 pars and a double bogey.