Bob Duval shot a career-best, 9-under-par 61, one stroke off the Senior PGA Tour record, in taking a four-stroke lead after the opening round of the Emerald Coast Classic today.

Duval missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have tied Isao Aoki's record, set in the 1997 Emerald Coast.

While Duval was burning up the par-70, 6,784-yard course at The Moors Golf Club in the Florida Panhandle, his son, David, was shooting a 3-under-69 to finish the second round of The Players Championship a stroke back of Joe Ozaki.

The younger Duval is also the author of one of only three rounds of 59 in PGA Tour history.

"I wanted to get to 60 so I could tell David he only beat me by one," the elder Duval joked. "I came here feeling real good because I played every day last week with David. ... He just beat the hell out of me."

Duval played even par the first four holes and finished the front nine only 2-under, then birdied seven holes on the back nine.

He finished four strokes ahead of Buzz Thomas, whose 65 was three strokes clear of Bruce Fleisher, John Mahaffey and Kermit Zarley.

Gibby Gilbert was next at 69 and defending champion Dana Quigley was at 70 along with Allen Doyle, Walter Hall, Tom McGinnis and Walter Morgan.

Fleisher won his first two tournaments and finished second in the third, the best start ever for a senior tour rookie, but then was hospitalised with a viral infection. The Emerald Coast is his first tournament since the GTE Classic in Tampa on Feb. 15.

Fleisher leads the tour with $425,600 going into the Emerald Coast while Larry Nelson was second at $396,883 in six events, twice as many as Fleisher. Nelson shot a 71 Friday.

The Emerald Coast switched to a spring playing date this year from the late summer to escape hot weather and the hurricane season. Last year, Hurricane Earl soaked the course, forcing cancellation of the pro-am but not affecting the tournament.

It was sunny with a temperature in the upper 60s and wind gusting 10-20 mph.