Peter Lonard bounced back from a six-week layoff with a bad back by shooting a four-under-par 66 in the first round of the US PGA Tour's Travelers Championship.
Lonard, who turns 41 next month, made four birdies on the homeward nine to sit two shots off the lead shared by Steve Lowery, Johnson Wagner, Brad Adamonis and Britain's Brian Davis.
The Australian used his new driver to good effect, hitting almost 80 per cent of fairways, but the best part was his putting, normally a weak point in his game.
Wielding a new "winged" Monza Spider putter, Lonard needed just 26 putts to get around the TPC River Highlands course, which was softened by overnight rain and yielded 78 sub-par rounds.
Lonard has had an up-and-down season, with two top-10 finishes including a second in the Zurich Classic in New Orleans in March offset by seven missed cuts.
Also making a return from back injury was tour rookie Jason Day, who carded a bogey-free 67 to be three behind on a crowded leader board.
Stuart Appleby put his disappointing weekend at Torrey Pines behind him with a solid 68 along with fellow Australians Nathan Green, Nick O'Hern, Brett Rumford, Andrew Buckle and Steve Allan.
