Matt Bettencourt seized the first-round lead at the Reno-Tahoe Open on Thursday, one stroke in front of fellow American Chris DiMarco.
Bettencourt, who won the 2008 Nationwide Tour Championship but has no PGA Tour victories, hit his drive 355 yards on the par-five 17th and landed a four-iron from 260 yards within three feet for eagle to highlight his round.
It was enough to keep him in front with a six-under 66, despite a bogey at the last.
The 35-year-old from Northern California said he probably played almost 100 rounds of golf in the neighboring Reno area as a youth and has played plenty at the Montreux club where the tournament is being held.
“My confidence is building. I feel real comfortable,” he said. “I feel really acclimated to the elevation. The whole game is about confidence. I think that’s what Tiger [Woods] has bred so well over his career. I mean, he’s so much more confident than everybody else. We all believe in ourselves. You know, it’s just the matter of getting on a hot streak.”
DiMarco, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour who hasn’t finished in the top 10 since 2008, fired a 67 — with the aid of his 14-year-old son, Cristian, acting as his caddie.
Will MacKenzie, the 2006 Reno winner, and Craig Bowden were two shots off the pace on 68.
More than a dozen golfers were grouped on 69, including Australians Steve Elkington and Mark Hensby, Woody Austin, J.J. Henry and Chad Campbell.
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