Keegan Bradley birdied six of the initial nine holes while heading to terminating a seven-under-standard 64 to lead after the principal round of the BMW Championship.

The 36-year-old American is one stroke in front of Australian Adam Scott.

Ireland’s Shane Lowry shares third on five under and England’s Tyrrell Hatton is in a pack who opened with a 67.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy completed three under, those likewise on that score including world number one and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler.

The BMW Championship – being played at Wilmington Country Club in Delaware – is the second of three FedEx Cup play-off competitions, with the main 30 in the PGA Tour season’s focuses table after Sunday’s last round progressing to the following week’s season-finishing Tour Championship in Atlanta.

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Bradley and Scott are both ready to bounce into the main 30, from 44th and 45th separately.

“I’d very much want to go to Atlanta,” said Bradley. “That is everybody’s objective to begin the year.”

Bradley, the 2011 US PGA Championship victor yet looking for his most memorable PGA Tour come out on top for since the 2018 BMW Championship, began his day with a 13-foot birdie putt on the principal opening prior to matching his least PGA nine-opening score of 29.

“He sort of had everything going how he would have preferred,” said Scott. “I was drafting off him.”

McIlroy scored 68 regardless of a triple-intruder six at the standard three fifteenth, finding water off the tee prior to missing a twofold intruder putt from under four feet.

“Simply that one tee shot on 15 – then I intensified that by the three-putt,” said McIlroy. “Generally the remainder of it was very great.”