Oct 13 (Reuters) - American Scott Piercy took the first-round lead at the Tiger-less Safeway Open in northern California on Thursday as Englishman Paul Casey put down his wine glass to trail by two strokes.
Piercy, runner-up at the U.S. Open in June, found his putting touch to reel off 12 birdies for a course record 10-under-par 62 at the Silverado Resort in Napa.
The event lost its star attraction on Monday when Tiger Woods, who was scheduled to return from a 14-month hiatus, withdrew, saying his game was not sharp enough.