Justin Rose's best round of the year and one of the best of his career could be the springboard to a $10 million payday for the Briton, who returned an eight-under-par 63 to grab the first round lead at the BMW Championship Thursday. Needing a strong result in the third-of-four playoff events to crack the top 30 of the FedExCup standings and clinch a spot in the lucrative season-ending Tour Championship, Rose came out all guns blazing at the Cog Hill Golf and Country Club with birdies on his opening two holes. Playing the back nine first, the Englishman would pick up his only bogey of the day at the 13th then played error-free golf the rest of the way, carding seven more birdies to equal the tournament's opening round record for a two-stroke lead on Americans Mark Wilson and FedExCup leader Webb Simpson. Winner in two of his last three starts, Simpson brought his red-hot form to chilly Chicago with an unblemished six-under 65 while Wilson birdied the last hole to join the FedExCup leader at two back. South Korean K.J. Choi carded a 67 to sit four off the pace, followed by American Jim Furyk, Australian John Senden and Colombian Camilo Villegas on three-under 68. Johnson takes early lead Jennifer Johnson shot a career-best, 7-under-par 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead over teenager Lexi Thompson in the Navistar LPGA Classic. Johnson was 6 under on the back nine on the Senator course at the Robert Trent Jones Trail's Capitol Hill complex. She eagled the par-4, 389-yard 15th hole and had birdies on Nos. 10, 13, 17 and 18. The 16-year-old Thompson is one stroke back after a 6-under 66, with Becky Morgan and Alison Walshe another shot behind. There is a seven-way tie for fifth at 4 under that includes Yani Tseng. Thompson had seven birdies and one bogey. Her bogey came on the par-3, 163-yard 13th hole. Thompson, who had birdied Nos. 11 and 12, recovered to birdie Nos. 14 and 15. Continentals strike back Continental Europe hit back at Britain and Ireland in Friday's Seve Trophy fourballs to leave the biennial match finely poised 5 1/2-4 1/2 in the away team's favor at Versailles, France. Europe captain Jean Van de Velde said after sliding 4-1 behind Thursday that he hoped the second series of matches at St Nom La Breteche would not turn into “groundhog day”. It was anything but as the continentals rallied to win the series 3 1/2-1 1/2. Victories by Swedes Peter Hanson and Alex Noren, Spaniards Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal and Matteo Manassero of Italy and Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts lifted Europe's chances of ending a run of five successive defeats in the event.
