Andrew Trott overcame a triple bogey at the par-three eighth hole to grab an early share of the lead with Cornell Bean during yesterday?s opening round of the 2006 PGA Championship at Tucker?s Point.

The 27-year-old pro made great strides in overcast conditions early in his round after carding an eagle on the third hole and remained firmly on course to make the turn under par before disaster struck.

?That one hole killed me,? said Trott, shortly after entering the clubhouse with a two-over-par 72. ?I?m very pleased to hold a share of the lead. But I can?t count my chickens yet because there?s still three guys just behind me with a lot of experience that have proven themselves over the years to be able to perform over four rounds of golf.?

Breathing closely down the leader?s necks are defending champion Dwayne Pearman and Kim Swan who shot identical three-over-par 73s to remain in a two-way tie for third and within striking distance of the lead pair.

?The key today was not to shoot myself in the foot to give myself a chance for the remaining rounds. And overall I think I played pretty good golf out there today. So apart from that one bad hole I played very solid golf,? Trott added.

Fairmont Princess pro Bean struggled on the greens with the putter but still managed to claim a share of the lead.

Bean managed three birdies but also carded five bogeys and missed a few easy putts.

?I?ve always struggled with my putter and so today?s performance was about average,? Bean told ?I just wished I could have putted half way decent today. But hopefully I can go back out there and have some fun and try to keep the boys honest.?

Defending champ Pearman also encountered his share of woes with the putter. Pearman?s round got off to a rocky start when he bogeyed the first three holes.

?I just didn?t putt well at all today,? he lamented. ?But it?s still early and hopefully everything will come together as the tournament progresses.?

Danny Johnson (80), meanwhile, leads the senior division by three shots over Eardley Jones and four over Frankie Rabain.