Craig Perks back to form with 64

New Zealand's Craig Perks, who has struggled on the PGA Tour since he won the 2002 Players Championship, fired a flawless six-under-par 64 to lead after the first round of the Colonial tournament on Thursday.

Swede Jesper Parnevik was one stroke back in second place while Tim Petrovic, Steve Flesch, Stewart Cink, Jeff Maggert and Australia's John Senden shared third on 66.

Defending champion Kenny Perry recorded a 67 and was in joint eighth position with Sweden's Carl Pettersson, Chris Riley, Dennis Paulson and Australian Robert Allenby.

U.S. Masters champion Phil Mickelson made a rocky start with bogeys on three of his first six holes. The world number five eventually finished with four birdies and two more bogeys to card a one-over 71.

Davis Love III, the world number four and the highest-ranked player in the field, returned a 74 at the Colonial Country Club, a course made famous by Ben Hogan's five victories here.

Perks has had only one top-10 finish since his Players Championship triumph, at the 2002 International.

This season Perks, 37, who now lives in Lafayette, Louisiana, has made the cut three times in 13 tournaments. Before tying for 54th place in last week's Byron Nelson Championship, he had missed six consecutive cuts.

Perks, who notched six birdies and 12 pars on Thursday, told reporters his 64 came from out of the blue.

"I didn't see it coming but it's certainly not from lack of hard work," he said. "I've been working harder than I ever have.

"I saw some good things last week, although the results really don't show it. I'm still really struggling with my driver.

"I think what paid off today, I didn't have to drive every hole. I hit a lot of three-woods and two-irons."

At 7,080 yards, Colonial is one of the shorter courses on the PGA Tour.

After winning the Players Championship, Perks tried to alter his swing and the changes have made for a difficult couple of seasons.

"It was something that I thought necessary, had to be done," Perks said.

"If you go back and look at my ball-striking statistics nearly every year on tour, they were very, very poor and I think what happened when I did make those changes, I lost the ability to score, to play this game."

While Perks seemed almost perplexed by his fine round, Parnevik was confident and beaming.

"A great day," Parnevik, 39, said. "This is one of the courses I love to play every year.

"I think the feeling is similar with most of the players on tour because it's a very old, traditional style and it's not the grip it and rip it type of golf we play every week."

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