Seamus Power got off to a fast start with a six-under 66 in the Sanderson Farms Championship but still finds himself six shots behind England’s David Skinns.
The West Waterford man was tied for 14th as Skinns (42, carded a course record 12-under 60 for the lowest round of his career in Mississippi.
But Skinns still ended up disappointed at the Country Club of Jackson after missing from inside 10 feet on his final hole for a 59.
“How many nine-footers are you going to get to shoot 59?” said Skinns, who has a three-shot lead over Michael Thorbjornsen after making six birdies on each nine.
“I’m sure I’m not going to get many. Tough not to be a little bit disappointed, but I really want to just look back on how in control mentally I felt, how I kept attacking.
“Wasn’t really thinking about the future at all, which is kind of the thing I’m going to take away from today.
“Great to see a couple go in that maybe some days don’t.
“Just kind of catapulted, and I was able to keep the momentum going, which is what I was most pleased about.
“I never really thought about the score too much, just where I was going to hit the next shot.”
Power got his day off to a great start when he ripped his tee shot to less than three feet at the 227-yard 10th and tapped in for a birdie.
He then birdied three of the next four holes to get to four-under.
After two-putting the par-five 14th, he hit the best drive of the day to 14 feet at the 318-yard 15th and two-putted again before rolling in a six-footer at the 17th.
He continued his good play on the front nine, knocking in 20-footers at the fourth and fifth and a 14-footer on the sixth to move into a tie for third on seven-under.
After dropping a shot when he missed the green at the 216-yard seventh, he saved par from eight feet at the 17th and narrowly missed for his eighth birdie of the day at the 18th.