(Reuters) - A refreshed Matt Kuchar seized a one-shot lead in the opening round of the Phoenix Open in Arizona on Thursday but had the ominous figure of reigning champion Hideki Matsuyama in hot pursuit.
Kuchar, a seven-times winner on the PGA Tour, took advantage of ideal scoring conditions at the TPC Scottsdale to fire a seven-under-par 64 that included birdies on his first two holes and an eagle at the par-five 13th where he drained a 20-footer.
He narrowly missed a birdie at the last, his attempt from 10 feet sliding past the left edge, to finish one ahead of fellow American Brendan Steele and world number five Matsuyama, the game's hottest player over the past four months.