Vijay Singh had his best opening round in more than three years, good enough for a five-way share of the lead Thursday in the Sony Open.
And it was just enough to beat players in his own age group.
Singh, who turns 53 next month and could be the oldest PGA Tour winner in history with a victory at Waialae, narrowly missed an 8-foot eagle putt on his final hole and still posted his best score in 19 years playing the Sony Open.
Brandt Snedeker and Kevin Kisner caught him in the afternoon. Snedeker holed out a long chip for eagle on the short par-4 10th and made two birdies late on the back nine. Kisner got up-and-down from a bunker for a birdie on the par-5 18th.
Ricky Barnes, winless in 205 starts on the PGA Tour as a pro, and Morgan Hoffmann also shot 63 in the morning.
Zach Johnson, Charles Howell III and Si Woo Kim were one shot out of the lead.
The best of the Australians is Steven Bowditch, shot an opening round of four-under 66 to be level with New Zealand star Danny Lee and fellow Queenslander John Senden.
Adam Scott and Marc Leishman are two shots further back at two-under the card.
Singh won the Sony Open in 2005 when he was No.1 in the world, a year after the former Masters and PGA champion turned in a nine-win season on the PGA Tour, but he hasn't won since the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2008, which effectively wrapped up the FedEx Cup.
The big Fijian has been around long enough to realise that a good start is nothing more than that.
"I've been playing really well," he said. "I just haven't produced the scores. I feel I'm playing well, and (will) see what the next three days bring."
It helped to hole some long putts, Singh knocked in a 50-footer for birdie on his third hole.
He added a pair of 20-foot birdie putts and a 30-foot birdie putt.
Singh's secret to success? A book he hasn't picked up in over 10 years, but one he has taken with him on tour for 20.
"I haven't read it for the last 10 years," he said.
"So I picked it up yesterday and started reading a few things that I've been doing, and it's just a different mindset.
"My golf swing has been the same (so I just have to) become a lot more aggressive this year. That's the plan, to attack the golf course instead of just trying to put it in the fairway and trying to make a good swing."
The name of the book?
"I can't tell you," he said. "I'd have to kill you."
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