Séamus Power is just four shots off the pace in the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii after shooting a round of 68 on Thursday.
The FedEx Cup leader played in the second group of the day.
His round saw him card eight birdies, but he was disappointed to hit three bogeys at the Plantation Course at Kapalua in Hawaii.
The Waterford golf admitted to having some "rust" after the festive break before his return to tournament action.
Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and JJ Spaun opened with nine-under 64s to lead by a shot from South Korea's Tom Kim, who picked up two eagles
Despite the leaders’ low scores, only three shots separate the top 16 players headed into the second round later on Friday.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.