Sluman Shoots a Course-Record 62

Golf finally felt easy to Jeff Sluman, and it wasn’t hard to see why.

From a fairway bunker on the 18th hole, he had to play a 20-yard hook to avoid the trees and reach the elevated green. His seven-iron stopped 16 inches from the cup for his ninth birdie, a course-record 62 and a two-shot lead in the Chrysler Championship on Thursday.

“You kind of wonder to yourself why in the world you can’t do that more often, because it seems so easy,” Sluman said after his round at Innisbrook Golf Resort at Palm Harbor, Fla. “Other days, making one or two birdies seems like it’s going to be impossible.”

The previous record was a 63 by K.J. Choi in the first round in 2002, when he went on to a wire-to-wire victory.

Jonathan Kaye made a hole in one with a three-iron from 222 yards on 17, then followed that with a birdie for a 64. He was tied with Kirk Triplett and Kent Jones, who is 124th on the money list and took a big step toward keeping his PGA Tour card for next year.

Vijay Singh, who needs to finish in the top 15 to assure himself a $10-million season, made five birdies in a seven-hole stretch on the back nine for a round of 65.

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Darron Stiles shot a seven-under 65 to take the first-round lead at the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship at Prattville, Ala.

Stiles made a bogey on the final hole, cutting his lead to one stroke over Jason Caron, Brett Wetterich, Gavin Coles and Euan Walters.