Humble: Jimmy Walker equaled the course record with a 9-under 63 on Thursday to take a two-shot lead over Josh Teater and Nick O'Hern of Australia after the first round of the Houston Open.
Walker matched the record set by Johnson Wagner and Adam Scott in the first round of the 2008 tournament. Wagner went on to win that year.
Chris Kirk was three back after a 66, and Steve Stricker, John Rollins, Nathan Green and Brendan Steele shot 67s and were four behind.
Most of the big-name players were also close to the top, as they fine-tune their games for next week's Masters.
England's Lee Westwood and Ireland's Padraig Harrington were in a large group of players at 4 under, Phil Mickelson and Retief Goosen of South Africa were at 2 under, and former Masters champions Angel Cabrera of Argentina and Fred Couples were 1 under.
Calm conditions yielded low scores all day at the Tournament Course at Redstone Golf Club outside Houston. A total of 32 players broke 70 and 87 players shot even-par (72) or better.
Walker needed only 23 putts, the fewest of any player in the first round, to make up for several erratic tee shots.
"I felt like I kind of got back to feeling that stroke that I was using earlier in the year, when I was putting so good and playing so good," Walker said.
Walker changed putters at the start of the season, and he's made six cuts in eight starts and already has three top-10 finishes this year. His round Thursday matched the lowest of his career.
"When you putt well," he said, "it cures a lot of ills, for sure."
Tournament organizers lured many top players by grooming the course to simulate conditions at Augusta — light rough, shaved mounds, fast greens and fairways mowed toward the tee.
Stricker, ranked No. 10 in the world, said he plays in Houston every year, no matter where it falls on the schedule, to return a favor from tournament director Steve Timms.
Stricker finished 162nd on the money list in 2005, and needed a sponsor's exemption from Timms to play in the Houston event the following year. He shot a 66 in the final round to finish third, his first of seven top-10s in 2006, and was later named the PGA Tour's comeback player of the year.
"This tournament means a lot to me," Stricker said. "The confidence level and my game have come a long way since '06, but this was a stepping stone. It gave me a lot of confidence, and I ran with it and I've been playing well ever since."
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