(Reuters) - Kevin Kisner took advantage of home comforts and a receptive layout to maintain his sizzling early season form and surge one shot clear in Thursday's opening round of the RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Georgia.
The 31-year-old American, who came close to winning a maiden PGA Tour title at the elite WGC-HSBC Champions in China earlier this month before finishing second, fired a sparkling seven-under-par 65 on the Plantation Course at Sea Island Golf Club.
Kisner eagled the par-five eighth, his penultimate hole, to end the day one ahead of compatriots Jim Herman, Kyle Stanley, Kevin Chappell, Scott Stallings, Jeff Overton, Tom Hoge, Canadian David Hearn and South Korea's Kim Si-woo.