Defending champion Jonathan Byrd ran off six straight birdies early in his round and opened with a 6-under 67 to take a one-shot lead in the Tournament of Champions on a breezy, splendid Friday afternoon. Byrd hasn't won since his playoff victory a year ago in the season opener. He felt a little uptight starting a new season, wanting to get off to a good start in breezy conditions on the Plantation Course. But after two holes, he looked as comfortable as ever. It must have felt as if last season never ended for Webb Simpson, a two-time winner who was second in the FedEx Cup and on the PGA Tour money list. Simpson played the last five holes on the front nine in 5-under par and shot 68 to match Steve Stricker, Michael Bradley and Martin Laird. Thirteen players in the 27-man field of PGA Tour winners broke par. It's the smallest field since this event moved to Kapalua, hurt by 11 players who didn't or couldn't make it to Maui, and by Lucas Glover having to withdraw Friday morning because of a sprained knee from a paddle board accident last Saturday. It was nearly a repeat performance from last year, when Byrd started his season with five birdies on the front nine, the holing out a wedge on the 10th for eagle to get to 7-under early in his round before he settled into pars. Laird had some bad feelings early with consecutive bogeys early in his round, but bounced back with a 33 on the back nine for his 68. Stricker, at No. 6 the highest-ranked American in the world, put his 5-iron into the gorge on the par-3 eighth for a double bogey, and then he rallied strong. He birdied four of his last five holes. PGA champion Keegan Bradley holed out a wedge from short of the ninth green for eagle that sent him to a 69. Only six players broke 70 on what appeared to be relatively good scoring conditions. Van der Walt joins Oosthuizen at the top Former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen was joined by fellow South African Tjaart van der Walt at the top of the leaderboard Saturday after three rounds of the Africa Open. Title holder Oosthuizen took a two-stroke advantage into the penultimate round after a birdie-packed 62, but had to settle for a six-under-par 67. Van der Walt followed his second-round 64 with a 65 and goes into the final round level with 2010 Open winner Oosthuizen on 198 – 21-under-par on a part-links, part-parkland 6,190-metre course overlooking the Indian Ocean. The race for the 158,500-euro first prize has developed into a battle between South Africa, England and Scotland with Swede Magnus Carlsson the lone ‘outsider' among the top 12, who are separated by seven strokes. Retief Goosen, the other Major winner in the field, occupies third place a stroke behind the leaders after a 66, followed by Englishman Danny Willett (65) on 200 and South African Richard Sterne (64) two shots further back.
