Birdie run has Piercy out front

Scott Piercy had one birdie in his first seven holes Thursday in Blaine, Minn. Then he went on a binge.

Piercy birdied eight of his final 11 holes en route to a 9underpar 62 and a twoshot lead after the first round of the inaugural 3M Open.

“I was thinking 4, 5under a day would be nice,” Piercy said. “You always get one or two guys that kind of go really low, and I just happened to be that guy.”

Adam Hadwin and Hideki Matsuyama were each two shots back at the TPC Twin Cities.

Seeking his fifth career PGA Tour win and first since the 2018 Zurich Classic, Piercy birdied one of his first seven holes and eight of his final 11, including a nearly 30foot putt on No. 16 to get to 8under. He needed just 25 strokes on the greens.

Piercy hit 13 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in a round that was interrupted early by a 36minute weather delay and showers fell briefly a couple of times during the rest of his round. Ranked 93rd on tour, averaging 28.95 putts per round, Matsuyama had 26, including making 13 of 14 from inside 10 feet and four of five from 10 to 15 feet. He did not threeputt a hole.

Starting on No. 10, Matsuyama, a fivetime tour champion who last won at the 2017 Bridgestone Invitational, had four straight birdies around the turn before backtoback birdies on Nos. 5 and 6. His lone bogey was his final hole.

Playing two groups behind Matsuyama, Hadwin was 3under through nine holes, and birdied four straight holes among his final nine. He made all 15 putts from inside 10 feet and made two of three from between 20 and 25 feet. LPGA Tour: One year after Yu Liu shot her lowest round on the LPGA Tour at Thornberry Creek of Oneida, she tied the Wisconsin course’s record with a 10under 62 for a oneshot lead in the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic.

Nearly half of the 140player field shot in the 60s on the rainsoftened course. Liu, a 23yearold from China, had a oneshot lead over Jeongeun Lee and Yealimi Noh, who got into the tournament through qualifying.

Sung Hyun Park, who won last weekend in Arkansas to return to No. 1 in the world, opened with a 65. European Tour: Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington, 47, shot a 7under 63 to take a oneshot lead over Zander Lombard in the opening round of the Irish Open in Lahinch.

With Rory McIlroy skipping the tournament as he prepares for the British Open at Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland, Harrington quickly became a crowd favorite in his national open, which he won in 2007.