DiMarco well placed at Reno-Tahoe Open

Former Open Championship runner-up Chris DiMarco, who has slipped to 389th in the world rankings, is well placed to enjoy a good week at the Reno-Tahoe Open.

The 41-year-old was second in the Open at Hoylake four years ago, two shots behind winner Tiger Woods, however his form has tailed off to the point he has not managed a top-10 finish on the PGA Tour since 2008.

DiMarco made six birdies and dropped just one shot in an opening round of 67 at the Montreux Golf and Country Club, placing him just one shot behind leader and fellow American Matt Bettencourt.

Bettencourt, 35, tied for fifth at the Memorial Tournament and 10th at the US Open in 2009 but has had a lean 2010 so far.

He made six birdies, and sandwiched an eagle at the 17th with a pair of dropped shots on his way to a 66.

Will MacKenzie and Craig Bowden shared third place after the first round after posting rounds of 68.

With $630,000 on offer to the winner, the tournament can provide considerable consolation for those players not contesting the Open at St Andrews this week.

DiMarco believes he can be in title contention over the weekend. He said: 'Obviously I still feel like I can win out here. My confidence is slowly but surely coming back.

'I'm starting to get comfortable on the golf course again. That, I think, is the biggest key, to be relaxed out there. And that's where I am. It's been nice. It really has.

'I just see good things. I've been seeing good strides here for the last month, and I have a lot of confidence, which is good. That's a hard thing to get. It's easy to take away but it's a hard thing to regain. It's coming back.'