Defending champ Steele, 2 others share Safeway lead

NAPA, Calif. — Brendan Steele opened his Safeway Open title defense Thursday with a 7-under 65 for a share of the lead with Tyler Duncan and Tom Hoge in the PGA Tour’s season opener.

Lucas Glover, Chez Reavie, Emiliano Grillo and Jamie Lovemark were two shots back at 67.

Steele had an eagle, six birdies and a bogey. Last year at Silverado, he birdied the final three holes to overcome a fourshot deficit and beat Patton Kizzire by a stroke for his second PGA Tour title.

“A little bit of everything worked for me today,” Steele said. “I had a really good ball-striking day. I don’t think I missed a green, so that really helps. And then I had a good putting day as well, so you put that together and it’s going to be pretty good.

Duncan, making his first start as a PGA Tour member, also had six birdies, an eagle and a bogey.

“I thought the course would fit my game because hitting the fairways is important,” said Duncan, whose only other PGA Tour event was the 2015 U.S. Open. “There are a lot of sections in the greens that you’ve got to hit into and to hit it into those sections from the rough is pretty challenging.”

Hoge, beginning his fourth PGA Tour season, had seven birdies. He had a back-nine 30 with six birdies.

“I played really well the whole day,” said Hoge, whose PGA Tour career best is a tie for fourth in August at the Barracuda Open. “I was in a lot of fairways, on a lot of greens and the made a few putts.”

Steele didn’t miss a green in regulation.

“The greens are not holding very well, you have to be in the fairway,” Steele said. “I think this is the way that it’s meant to be played. It plays really nicely this way.”

Zach Johnson, the 12-time PGA Tour winner playing the event for the first time, had a 68 with five birdies and a bogey.