Shane Lowry and Pádraig Harrington made promising starts at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut where American journeyman Vaughn Taylor shares the lead after the opening round.
Taylor birdied five of his last seven holes to move to the top of the leaderboard where he is joined by fellow Americans Andrew Loupe and Jerry Kelly.
Lowry sits five shots behind after a steady start to the tournament.
The Offaly native’s only dropped shot of the round came at the first, but picked up birdies at the par-three eighth and the 421 yard 14th on a steady round that saw 15 pars.
Harrington, who will represent Ireland at the upcoming Olympic Games, finished one shot further back after a round of 70.
Harington birdied the third but following 12 successive pars, his round took a disappointing turn when he dropped shots at 16 and 17.
However the 44-year-old finished in style with an exquisite 110-yard approach shot at the final hole which allowed him two-foot for a birdie.
Spaniard Jon Rahm, competing in his fifth PGA Tour event since turning professional in June, eagled the par-five 13th on the way to a 65, ending the round level with Australian Marc Leishman and American Ben Martin.
Taylor, who has missed nine cuts on the PGA Tour since clinching his third career victory on the U.S. circuit at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, caught fire on his back nine after reaching the turn in one-under 34.
With his approach play in sparkling order, he reeled off five consecutive birdies from the par-four 12th to surge up the leaderboard.
"I played good early, just couldn't get a putt to go," Taylor, 40, told PGA Tour Radio. "I just didn't hit it quite close enough really and then I hit a good fairway bunker shot on nine, hit a good putt there and just kind of got things going.
"I was feeling good. I was hitting some good shots and the putter started feeling better. You know, you just get on a run sometimes and just kind of ride it."
Taylor could certainly do with an extended run of good form, having finished no better than joint 33rd since he ended a PGA Tour title drought of more than a decade with his Pebble Beach win.
Prior to that, Taylor not played a full season on the PGA Tour since 2012 while bouncing between the elite U.S. circuit and the satellite Web.com tour.
