Defending champion Brendan Steele carded a 7-under-par 65 to tie for the lead with rookie Tyler Duncan and Tom Hoge in the Safeway Open on the North Course at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif.
Steele, from Idyllwild and Cal State Riverside, started at No. 10 and birdied five of the last seven holes on the back nine. Then he made a tap-in eagle after hitting a brilliant approach on the fifth hole and finished with a two-putt birdie at No. 18.
“It was a little bit of everything,” said Steele, whose only other victory on the PGA Tour came in the 2011 Valero Texas Open. “It was a good ball-striking day and I also putted well, so when you put those things together it’s a pretty good day.
“This place just makes sense to me. I’m a West Coast guy and I just feel comfortable with the grass on the greens here, and I’m comfortable with how the ball rolls. I just feel good here.”
Duncan, who earned his PGA Tour card last season on the Web.com Tour, wedged his second shot from 119 yards into the 10th hole for an eagle and finished his 65 with three straight birdies, while Hoge, whose only pro victory came in the 2011 Players Cup on the Canadian Tour, birdied six of the last eight holes in his bogey-free round.
Lucas Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, Jamie Lovemark of Rancho Santa Fe and USC, Chez Reavie and Emiliano Grillo of Argentina, who won at Silverado two years ago, all finished with birdies and are tied for fourth at 67.
Rookie Maverick McNealy of Portola Valley and Stanford shot 68 in his pro debut and is in a tie for eighth that includes two-time major champion Zach Johnson, while five-time major champ Phil Mickelson totaled 69 and is in a tie for 12th that includes Webb Simpson, who won the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
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