Martin Laird found the format of the Barracuda Championship to his liking, taking early control of the Nevada event.
High points totals rather than low scores are the order of the day in this event, which offers the added incentive of a place in the Open Championship for the first time.
The £2.3million tournament - formerly known as the Reno-Tahoe Open - is the only one on the PGA Tour to use a Modified Stableford format, which allocates points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole.
And Laird, who has not won on the PGA Tour since 2013. finished the first round on 15 points after eight birdies and a bogey.
It gave the 33-year-old Scot a one-point lead over Camilo Villegas, Greg Chalmers and Gary Woodland.
The only other Briton in the field at Montreux Golf and Country Club in Reno , England's Greg Owen, managed three points from his first round.
Source: PA
