List’s 63 equals course record at Scottish Open

American Luke List equaled the Gullane course record with a 7-under-par 63 to start the Scottish Open on Thursday. List moved into the lead with his ninth birdie on the 15th hole and held it to finish the round ahead by one stroke.

He was followed by five players in a tie for second; Rickie Fowler, Lee Westwood, Robert Rock, Scott Fernandez of Spain, and Jens Dantorp of Sweden.

Masters champion Patrick Reed was part of an eightstrong group a shot further back following a 65, with Danny Willett continuing his resurgence with a 66, and Olympic champion Justin Rose returning a 67.

On a day when almost 100 players broke par, five-time major champion Phil Mickelson, who won the 2013 British Open at nearby Muirfield, could only manage a level-par 70.

Fowler raised the prospect of recording the first 59 in European Tour history after five birdies and an eagle took him to 7 under after 12 holes. But a bogey on the 13th was followed by five straight pars as the inward nine played much harder back into the wind.

PGA Tour: Steve Wheatcroft shot a career-best 9-under 62 to take a oneshot lead in the John Deere Classic. Wheatcroft birdied seven of the last nine holes to finish a shot ahead of Michael Kim.

Johnson Wagner, Nick Taylor, Andres Romero and Joel Dahmen shot opening-round 64s. Francesco Molinari, who won the Quicken Loans National two weeks ago, was among a group of players three strokes back.

Zach Johnson shot 69 and three-time John Deere winner Steve Stricker finished at 1-under 70. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, the highest-ranked player in the field, withdrew because of a right shoulder injury.

Champions: Kenny Perry and Mike Small shot 7-under 65s to share a one-stroke lead in the first round of the Constellation Senior Players Championship in Highland Park, Ill. Bart Bryant, Glen Day and 2015 U.S. Senior Open champion Jeff Maggert were one stroke back in the fourth of five majors on the PGA Tour Champions schedule.

Defending champion Scott McCarron was in a pack at 5 under, while three-time Senior Players winner Bernhard Langer and Vijay Singh were another shot back at Exmoor Country Club.

David Toms, coming off a win at the U.S. Senior Open, shot 2 over. Perry made eight birdies and one bogey to put himself in contention for his fifth senior major. Small is the longtime golf coach at Illinois and has never won on the PGA Tour Champions.

LPGA: Thidapa Suwannapura shot a 6-under-par 65 to take the first-round lead at the Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio. Seven players, including defending champion I.K. Kim and former No. 1 Yani Tseng, were a stroke behind at 66.

USGA: Elaine Crosby shot a 3-under-par 70 at Chicago Golf Club for the lead after one round of the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open. A two-time winner in 17 LPGA seasons, Crosby, 60, owns a one-shot advantage over Trish Johnson, Laura Davies and Liselotte Neumann.