Bae, Gonzales share lead

Sang-Moon Bae: Early leader at the Frys.com Open

Sang-Moon Bae and Andres Gonzales share the lead after the opening round of the Frys.com Open in California.

The tournament at Silverado in Napa Valley marks the opening of the 2015 PGA Tour season, and a number of high-profile players including Ryder Cup stars Jimmy Walker and Matt Kuchar struggled badly.

Defending champion Walker opened with a three-over round of 75 to sit nine shots off the pace, while Kuchar managed a 71 and a third US Ryder Cup player Hunter Mahan fared a little better in his two-under par 70.

Lee Westwood also struggled with his form, the Englishman opening up with a 73 to leave less heralded players to take centre stage.

Among them is Gonzales, who had seven birdies in a round of 66 as he looks to improve a PGA Tour record that includes just one top-10 finish in 44 starts.

He has won on the Web.com tour, and believes he has the game to succeed on the PGA Tour.

"I've always felt that I've been good enough to be at this level, whether or not I've proven that each year," said Gonzales, whose seven birdies included two in a row to finish. "I've felt that each year I have improved each year."

Korean star Bae, who won the 2013 Byron Nelson Championship, birdied his last three holes -- and four of his last five -- to grab his share of the lead in the afternoon.

"I had a really, really good round, a pretty solid round, and I made a lot of putts and just one bogey today," Bae said. "It was a pretty nice round."

Scotland's Martin Laird sits in third place after an opening round of 67, with nine players including Aaron Baddeley and Brooks Koepka starting their tournament with rounds of 68.

Australian Jarrod Lyle, in his first tour event since overcoming leukaemia for the second time, double-bogeyed the 17th hole and signed for a level-par 72.

"It was obviously a little disappointing to finish that way, but even par, I haven't shot myself in the foot, so it's a good start to the week," Lyle said.