BLAINE, Minn. -- Two-time tournament winner Kenny Perry shot a 7-under 65 on Friday to hold a share of the lead after the first round of the PGA Tour Champions event just outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Perry, who won in Minnesota in 2014 and 2015, opened his round with six consecutive birdies. He finished with another one to join Mike Goodes atop the 3M Championship leaderboard at TPC Twin Cities.
Scott Verplank, Marco Dawson, Gene Sauers and Jay Haas finished at 6 under. Steve Flesch, Colin Montgomerie and Brandt Jobe were among the golfers to card 67s.
Jeff Sluman leads a host of golfers who shot opening-round 68s, three shots off the lead.
Perry, who won the U.S. Senior Open earlier this season by two shots at the Salem Country Club in Massachusetts, finished his front nine on Friday at 7-under 29.
Perry cooled off after that, picking up his first bogey on his 17th hole before an easy birdie putt brought him even with Goodes.
Goodes entered play just 61st in the Charles Schwab Cup standings -- and he hasn't finished better than 15th in 2017. But Goodes got off to a strong start, playing bogey-free with seven birdies.
Goodes, 60, has just one senior circuit victory. That came in 2009.
Verplank had birdies on five straight holes at one point in his round. But a bogey on the par-3 13th kept him from joining the leaders.
Dawson had a wild opening round, with birdies on eight holes and bogeys on two.
Haas put his approach on the par-5 18th within 10 feet and made the putt for an eagle.
Senior tour leader Bernhard Langer, who has won four of his first 13 starts in 2017 with four other top-three finishes, shot a 69.