(Reuters) - Zack Sucher made nine birdies to take the first round lead at the Barracuda Championship at the Montreux Golf and Country Club in Reno, Nevada, on Thursday.
The 28-year-old American, who has made only four cuts in 16 tournaments in his rookie PGA season, is on 18 points in the modified Stableford scoring system, three points ahead of Patrick Rodgers and four in front of Ricky Barnes.
"I had last week off, which was nice," Sucher said. "Worked on a few things with my coach, and they all panned out good today.
"I kept it in play and obviously I putted really well, which was the key.