Harold Varner III and Justin Rose both fired seven-under-par 63s to share the lead as the PGA Tour returned to action for the first time in three months here on Thursday.
Englishman Rose waltzed through a bogey-free round in the morning at the spectator-free Charles Schwab Challenge.
Varner followed in the afternoon with a blistering round, capping it off with an 11-foot putt on 18 for his seventh birdie of the day to pull even with Rose.
Four players, including World No.4 Justin Thomas, were locked in a tie for third at six under. World No.1 Rory McIlroy had an unremarkable round to finished two under and tied for 39th.
“It felt quite subdued out there for sure,” Rose said of playing without fans cheering on the impressive field, which included the top five golfers in the world rankings.
“It kind of feels like a competitive practice round. But I think we all know what's on the line. We all know what we're playing for.”
Everyone in the field underwent mandatory COVID-19 testing prior to teeing off as the tour ended its longest unscheduled break from competition since World War Two.
“Just being out here is a success, to be honest with you, getting started,” said American Ryan Palmer, who hit the day's opening tee shot.
Palmer (72) began his round about two hours before the 8:46 a.m. tee time was left vacant as golfers stopped play to observe a moment of silence to honour George Floyd.
Varner, who is among only a handful of black players on the tour, called the moment of silence “pretty cool,” a sentiment echoed by other players.
Varner has long been an advocate for greater racial diversity in the pro game but said right now his focus is on trying to win his first PGA Tour event.
“The reason I have a platform is because I'm really good at golf,” the 29-year-old told reporters.
“I just need to focus on that.”
Top of the heap:
63 - Harold Varner, Justin Rose, 64 - Jhonattan Vegas, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Abraham Ancer, 65 - Adam Hadwin, Tom Lehman, Jordan Spieth, Daniel Berger, Brian Harman, Gary Woodland, Bryson DeChambeau, Tyler Duncan, Xander Schauffele .
