Patton Kizzire shot a nine-under-par 62 to grab the first-round lead at the PGA Tour’s OHL Classic on Thursday.
The 31-year-old American rolled in 10 birdies and had his only blemish with a bogey at the 18th hole to leave him with a two-shot lead over Vaughn Taylor.
Kizzire, who is seeking his first win on the Tour, finished tied for fourth last week in Las Vegas, closing with a final-round 64 that included birdies on four of the last five holes.
Kizzire stormed up the leaderboard Thursday with six straight birdies from Nos. eight to 13 and needed 25 putts in his career-low round.
He tied the tournament record held by Fred Funk for the lowest first-round score.
Taylor had five birdies and an eagle in his bogey-free round to grab sole possession of second place. He is one stroke ahead of four-time PGA Tour winner Rickie Fowler and Brandon Harkins.
Fowler, who is competing for the first time since the Presidents Cup, is the highest ranked player in the field at No. 10. He had three birdies on each side in his bogey-free round, while rookie Harkins closed with four birdies over his final six holes.
South Africa’s Retief Goosen, a two-time US Open champion, led a group of six players in a tie for fifth place at five-under 66. Goosen is looking for his first win since 2009.
Among the players bunched with Goosen was rookie Keith Mitchell, who started his round with a flourish with a hole-in-one on his first shot at the par-three 10th hole.
Defending champion Pat Perez opened with a 67 and was in a 10-player tie five shots off the pace. John Huh, the 2012 tournament winner, also carded a 67.
Patton Kizzire
