GREENSBORO, N.C. - Camilo Villegas got away from golf for a little while, and his game came back. A recharged Villegas shot a 7-under 63 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round at the Wyndham Championship. North Carolina natives Webb Simpson and William McGirt shot 64, and Scott Langley, Heath Slocum, Paul Casey, Andrew Loupe and Martin Laird were another stroke back in the final event before the PGA Tours playoffs. Villegas hasnt won since 2010 and has only two top-10 finishes in the last three years. After pulling out of the Canadian Open after one round last month, he spent the past week back in his native Colombia for "a little recharge" — leaving his clubs behind in Florida. "I just thought it was appropriate to hop on a plane and see mom and dad and recharge a little bit," Villegas said. It helped him make a late charge up the Sedgefield Country Club leaderboard. Starting on the back nine, he had three early birdies before getting even hotter late: He followed his birdie on the fourth with an eagle on the par-5 fifth, placing his second shot about 3 feet from the stick. He claimed sole possession of the lead two holes later with a birdie, sinking a 15-foot putt on the par-3 seventh. But early leads have been something of a curse at Sedgefield. Since the tournament returned to the course in 2008, the only first-round leader to win was Arjun Atwal in 2010. And first-round leads havent exactly been kind to Villegas lately, either. He held two of them last year, but missed the cut at the Honda Classic and finished 71st at the John Deere. "Ive also played great rounds and played some good ones after that," Villegas said. "Its a matter of just coming out here and playing good golf tomorrow. There shouldnt be any relationship between Thursday-Friday and Friday-Saturday or Saturday-Sunday." Simpson, the 2011 winner, hopes to make an impression on U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson. His three captains picks are due next month. Simpson finished 15th on the Ryder Cup points list. "Its on my mind a little bit, but there are so many things I cant control with what the captain does and how other guys play," Simpson said. "I think if I have a good week this week — not just today but this week — itll show that I really want to make the team. I want to make a good argument for myself to be a pick." Simpson has always been a local favourite and top draw at this tournament — even before he claimed his first PGA Tour victory here three years ago, and well before he won the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club. The Raleigh native played college golf at nearby Wake Forest and lives in Charlotte. Playing in the marquee grouping of the day along with fellow Wyndham winners Brandt Snedeker (2007) and Patrick Reed (2013), Simpson birdied his first four holes. He was briefly at 7 -under before he wound up with a bogey on the 17th when his 3-foot par putt hit a spike mark. "Normally, the ball will kind of pop right over, but it got it pretty good and went right," Simpson said. "Late in the day, it happens to everybody." McGirt also played well after spending some time away from the game. After his tie for 25th at the Canadian Open, the fourth-year pro took a break to paint his garage and — as the father of a 17-month-old son — joked that there were a "lot of dirty diapers I got to change." He also made a visit to his coach in Charleston, South Carolina, but otherwise kept his clubs in their travel case. He said he typically doesnt play at all when hes home. "I mean, I love to play golf," McGirt quipped. "But not that much." The 35-year-old McGirt who grew up near the North Carolina-South Carolina line in Fairmont closed with five birdies on the back nine to make up for two early bogeys. He wrapped up by sinking a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th. Laird needs a strong week here to climb into the playoffs beginning next week in New Jersey. He arrived at No. 136 on the points list and the top 125 qualify for The Barclays. Its a familiar position for him: As a rookie in 2008, he came to the Wyndham outside the playoff picture before his fourth-place tie pushed him into The Barclays. "Since then, Ive always liked this golf course," Laird said. "Its just a position course. Get in the fairway and kind of pick and choose your spots where you can go at flags. Thats the kind of golf I like." ___ Follow Joedy McCreary on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joedyapStitched Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys . Rudy Gay made the tying basket in regulation and a 3-pointer in overtime that gave Sacramento the lead for good, and Fredette scored a career-high 24 points to help the Kings beat the Knicks 106-101 on Wednesday night. Los Angeles Chargers Jerry Tillery Jersey .com) - Eric Fehrs goal 42 seconds into overtime lifted the Washington Capitals to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Columbus, halting the Blue Jackets seven-game win streak. http://www.cheapchargers.us/ . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Wholesale Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys .com) - The Chicago Cubs reportedly signed recently-acquired outfielder Dexter Fowler to a one-year contract on Friday, avoiding arbitration. Custom Chargers Jerseys . Stepanek gave the Czech Republic its second straight Davis Cup title Sunday, sweeping past Dusan Lajovic in straight sets in the fifth and decisive match to secure a 3-2 win over Serbia in the final.The Oakland As, owners of the best run differential in the majors, have taken over top spot in the TSN.ca MLB Power Rankings, ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants. The As have scored 296 runs -- most in baseball -- while allowing 181, the fewest in baseball. Their plus-115 run differential is 56 runs ahead of second-best San Francisco. Among those moving up this week, the Chicago White Sox are up from 16 to 10 with rookie first baseman Jose Abreu returning to the lineup, and the Washington Nationals are up from 19 to 13, in part because of the effectiveness of starting pitcher Doug Fister, who was injured to start the year. The New York Mets skyrocket from 26 to 15, with one 14-inning losss their only blemish in the past seven games.dddddddddddd The Texas Rangers creep up from 21 to 16 and the Boston Red Sox, winners of seven straight before Mondays loss, jump from 28 to 20. Heading the other way, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim couldnt hold top spot for long, going from one to five, after getting swept soundly by the As. The slumping Philadelphia Phillies sink from 18 to 25 and the Tampa Bay Rays drop seven spots, from 22 to 29, after losing seven straight along with a couple of starters to the injured list. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. 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