Troy Merritt was flawless as the American earned a three-stroke lead following the opening round of the Barbasol Championship.
With all eyes on Carnoustie and the iconic Open Championship in Britain, Merritt starred at the alternate tournament in Kentucky on Thursday.
Merritt carded a bogey-free 10-under-par 62 to set the early pace in Nicholasville.
The 32-year-old — seeking his second PGA Tour title having last triumphed via the Quicken Loans National in 2015 — hit 12 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation.
Merritt ended day one ahead of Andres Romero, Billy Horschel and Joel Dahmen.
Shawn Stefani, Tyler Duncan, Jonathan Byrd, Hunter Mahan, Martin Piller, Richy Werenski, Tom Lovelady and Matt Atkins posted 66s to be a stroke further back.
