Lingmerth shoots a 65 for openinground lead

POTOMAC, Md. — David Lingmerth is one of a few players in the Quicken Loans National field with any memories to draw on at TPC Potomac — and they’re the best kind of memories.

The winner of a 2012 Web.com Tour event on the tight, tricky layout near Washington, Lingmerth once again relied on his accuracy off the tee Thursday to shoot a 5-under 65 and take the firstround lead.

The 29-year-old Swede, who doesn’t have a top 10 finish on the PGA Tour this season, hit 12 of 14 fairways, which tied for best in the field. Starting on the back nine in the afternoon, he made five birdies in a seven-hole stretch beginning at the 13th hole, three of them from inside 7 feet.

“I feel like that’s kind of one of my strengths, a thing I pride myself in, hitting a lot of fairways,” Lingmerth said. “I like this type of golf course when you can see the definition, you can zone in on your targets. You’ve really got to stay committed off the tee.”

He won the 2015 Memorial Tournament for his lone PGA Tour title.

Troy Merritt, the winner two years ago at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, was a stroke back along with Marc Leishman, Johnson Wagner, Sung Kang, Nick Taylor and Daniel Summerhays.

TPC Potomac is hosting the event for the first time and has been extensively redesigned since it last welcomed the PGA Tour in 2006. It presented a stern test amid sunny, breezy conditions

Thursday. Slight misses off the tee were punished severely and, as the weather heated up, even wedge shots were bouncing and releasing on the greens.

Leishman, the big-hitting Australian who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational this year, welcomed the challenge.

“It’s getting pretty baked, which is great. It feels a lot like Melbourne, actually,” Leishman said. “You can hear that real, you know, the hard sound when the ball hits the green. You’ve got that purplish color, especially by the end of the day. It’s great. I’m enjoying it.”

On the 626-yard, par-5 second hole, Leishman’s 355-yard drive left him with a decision that few players had to confront. He File, Jessica Hill / The Associated Press

David Lingmerth leads the Quicken Loans National tournament by one stroke after the opening round. Six players are tied for second place.

watched his playing partners lay up and waited for the green to clear. He pulled out a 3-wood and then put it back in the bag. He also considered laying up with a 9-iron.

Ultimately, he settled on a 3-iron that he pulled slightly into a massive bunker in front of the green. No worries, though: He blasted out to 12 feet and made the putt for birdie.

The Quicken Loans is a home game of sorts for Leishman, who lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He drove his own car to the Washington area Tuesday and is staying with friends. His wife, Audrey, is home with their two sons. She’s also expecting their third child, due next week. Two years ago, Audrey nearly died from toxic shock syndrome.

THURSDAY’S SCORES

PGA-Quicken Loans National At TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm

Potomac, Md. Purse: $7.1 million Yardage: 7,107; Par: 70 (35-35)

First Round David Lingmerth 34-31—65 Troy Merritt 33-33—66 Marc Leishman 34-32—66 Johnson Wagner 32-34—66 Sung Kang 33-33—66 Nick Taylor 34-32—66 Daniel Summerhays 35-31—66 Russell Henley 34-33—67 Zac Blair 34-33—67 Martin Laird 32-35—67 Geoff Ogilvy 35-32—67 Patrick Reed 33-34—67 James Hahn 35-32—67 Bryson DeChambeau 34-33—67 Martin Flores 33-35—68 Ricky Barnes 36-32—68 Lucas Glover 34-34—68 Sam Saunders 35-33—68 Curtis Luck 37-31—68 Grayson Murray 35-33—68 Matt Jones 34-34—68 Mackenzie Hughes 36-32—68 Ben Martin 36-32—68 Kevin Streelman 35-33—68 Arjun Atwal 35-33—68 Jason Gore 35-34—69 Bud Cauley 35-34—69 Tony Finau 31-38—69 D.A. Points 36-33—69 Michael Kim 35-34—69 Bill Haas 33-36—69 Spencer Levin 34-36—70 Brian Gay 36-34—70 Rickie Fowler 35-35—70 Chris Stroud 35-35—70 Luke List 36-34—70 Cameron Percy 36-34—70 Andrew Loupe 33-37—70 Greg Chalmers 36-34—70 Danny Lee 37-33—70 Billy Horschel 34-36—70 Robert Streb 35-35—70 Harris English 34-36—70 Byeong Hun An 37-33—70 Kyle Stanley 34-36—70 Greg Owen 35-35—70 Kyle Reifers 34-36—70 Jonathan Randolph 35-35—70 Morgan Hoffmann 32-39—71 Ollie Schniederjans 38-33—71 Trey Mullinax 34-37—71 Tim Wilkinson 37-34—71 Kelly Kraft 37-34—71 Jimmy Walker 36-35—71 Patrick Rodgers 34-37—71 Shawn Stefani 36-35—71 Julian Etulain 37-34—71 David Hearn 34-37—71 Xander Schauffele 36-35—71 Robert Garrigus 39-32—71 Camilo Villegas 36-35—71 Graham DeLaet 36-35—71