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Australian Matt Jones fired a course-record 66 at the new Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio for a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Texas Open on Thursday.
The 30-year-old from Sydney, who has posted four top-10 finishes on the U.S. PGA Tour this season, sank a six-foot putt for eagle at the par-five 14th hole to help him reach six under par for the day after starting with a double-bogey.
Alone in second place was American Paul Stankowski, one shot ahead of U.S. Ryder Cup player J.B. Holmes, who was tied with compatriots Matt Weibring, Steve Lowery and Charley Hoffman at four under par in windy conditions.
World number seven Ernie Els, the top-ranked player in the field, had a birdie two bogeys and a double-bogey before he electrified the gallery at the 14th when his second shot from 293 yards out of the left rough settled 18 inches from the cup for an eagle tap-in. He shot even-par 72.
Zach Johnson, the 2007 U.S. Masters champion who was trying to emulate Arnold Palmer by winning the event for a third year in a row, failed to recover from a poor start.
Johnson had five bogeys on the front nine and compounded his woes with a quadruple-bogey at the par-three 13th on his way to registering an eight-over-par 80.
(Writing by Larry Fine in New York, Editing by Frank Pingue; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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