No. 890 Duval in hunt

Veteran just one shot back after he almost pulled out of Nelson.

Peter Hanson made his only back-nine birdie with a 6-foot putt at the 18th hole Thursday, closing out a 5-under 65 for a one-stroke lead over David Duval and two others after the first round of the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas.

Duval, ranked 890th in the world 15 years after being No. 1, birdied his last three holes — Nos. 7-9 — after pitching in from 57 feet for another birdie at the fifth hole. Marc Leishman and Tim Wilkinson matched Duval at 66.

The 42-year-old Duval almost withdrew before the round because of a muscle issue in his right elbow. About a half-hour before teeing off, he still wasn’t sure that he was going to play because his arm was hurting again.

“I’m just glad I chose to tee off today, because I was seriously considering not,” Duval said.

Martin Kaymer, The Players Championship winner Sunday, was among eight players at 67.

Hanson made the turn at 5 under after shooting 30 on the front side. The Swede couldn’t keep up the pace on the back nine at TPC Four Seasons. All six of Hanson’s birdie putts were inside 10 feet.

When Duval finished his round, he had a share of the lead — until Hanson sank his final putt.

Duval hasn’t led the end of any round on the PGA Tour since the fourth of five rounds at Las Vegas in 2002. That was a year the last of his 13 PGA Tour wins at the 2001 British Open. Duval is playing his first Nelson since 2003 as a past champion on tour, a status that provides only limited playing opportunities.

Jordan Spieth had an even-par 70.

LPGA Tour: Azahara Munoz and Austin Ernst had strong finishes to share the first-round lead in the Kingsmill Championship at 7-under 65 in Williamsburg, Va. Heavy rain was expected overnight and this morning, likely delaying second-round play.

Champions Tour: Jay Haas, Mark Calcavecchia, Olin Browne and Chien Soon Lu share the firstround lead at 3-under 69 at the Regions Tradition in Birmingham, Ala., the first of the senior tour’s five major tournaments.

European Tour: Eddie Pepperell of England shot a 4-under 68 for a one-shot lead over Sergio Garcia, Miguel Angel Jimenez and six others after the first round of the Spanish Open in Girona.