Golf-Casey holds two-shot lead after flawless 64 (Reuters)

* Casey posts seven birdies in bogey-free round

* Watney, Laird, Willis, Stallings two strokes back

(updates at end of round, adds details and quotes)

TAMPA, Florida, March 17 (Reuters) – Paul Casey of Britain enjoyed his best ball-striking
round of the year as he shot an impeccable seven-under-par 64 to grab the first-round lead in
the Transitions Championship at Innisbrook Thursday.

World number seven Casey, who won the Volvo Golf Champions event on the European Tour this
season, held a two-stroke lead over fellow-Briton Martin Laird, red-hot Nick Watney and his
unheralded compatriots Garrett Willis and Scott Stallings.

Casey, starting at the 10th hole, registered seven birdies without a bogey, capping his
stellar card with back-to-back birdies from the seventh at the challenging Copperhead course.

“Today was lovely. Bogey-free is always nice,” Casey told reporters after taking advantage
of ideal conditions. “It was very benign out there.

“Best ball-striking round of the year. This was fun today,” added Casey, who wore a bright
green shirt for St Patrick’s Day and said precision iron play was the key to his success.

Watney, who won last week’s WGC-Cadillac Championship and has finished in the top-10 in
each of his five tournaments this year, also got to seven-under with a string of three birdies
after making the turn but two late bogeys dropped him to 66.

“I started off great and kind of ran out of steam there at the end,” explained Watney, who
continued his hot hand with the putter in a round delayed for 70 minutes due to morning fog.

“I putted great last week and the ball, it’s just kind of taking off where I’m looking
right now which is a really good feeling. Luckily a lot of the putts fell in.”

Willis, ranked 277th, had four birdies in a row from the second hole, his 11th hole of the
day, to vault into contention. Scotsman Laird posted a bogey-free round, and 25-year-old
Stallings had five birdies after making his turn.

Bunched at 67, three shots off the pace, was a group of 10 that included defending champion
Jim Furyk, South African Rory Sabbatini and Australians Stuart Appleby and John Senden, who
called a one-stroke penalty on himself at the par-five fifth after his ball moved just before
he struck his second shot.

Fifteen players were tied another shot back including world number one Martin Kaymer of
Germany, Fiji’s Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia of Spain and 17-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero.

Kaymer said defending his number one status spurred him on.

“Of course I’m thinking about it,” U.S. PGA champion Kaymer said. “It’s a lot of motivation
if you know that you are the best player in the world. So of course I really enjoy that.”

(Writing by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue; To query or comment on this
story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)