PLAYA DEL CARMEN, February 24, 2012 (AFP) - Will Claxton fired a five-under par 66 on Thursday to top a log-jammed leaderboard after the first round of the US PGA Tour's Mayakoba Golf Classic.
Claxton played the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleon course without a bogey. He teed off on 10 and four of his five birdies came in a burst from the second through the fifth holes.
Claxton, whose 66 matched the 66 he shot in the first round of the Sony Open, has the overnight lead for the first time in a PGA Tour event.
His best finish was at Torrey Pines last month, where he was tied for 23rd.
The 30-year-old had a one-shot lead over a group of seven players -- Mark Anderson, Spain's Alejandro Canizares, Matt Every, Charles Howell, John Huh, England's Greg Owen and Marc Turnesa.
Turnesa joined Claxton as the only players without a bogey.
"This golf course, it really keeps your attention off the tees," Howell said. "There's a lot of trouble out there, and it's too hard to get ahead of yourself here. The golf course almost helps you stay where you're at just because it demands a lot of focus and attention on it."
A group of eight players on 68 included South Korean's Noh Seung-yul and Sunghoon Kang, as well as Canadian David Hearn.
Australian great Norman posted a 79 in the windy conditions on the course he designed.
European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain carded a 72.
The $3.7 million US PGA Tour event is played opposite the World Golf Championships Match Play Championship in Arizona, which drew the top golfers in the world this week.
Defending champion Johnson Wagner, who won the Sony Open in January and was equal second at the Humana Challenge a week later carded a 73.
Spencer Levin, who lost to Wagner in a playoff here last year, also carded a 73.