TUCSON (Arizona), Feb 22: Journeyman Michael Allen produced a red-hot putting display on his way to an eight-under-par 64 and a one-shot lead after the first round of the Tucson Open Thursday.

A veteran of the Buy.com Tour, Allen holed birdie putts from 20, four and 30 feet at the seventh, eighth and ninth.

The 41-year-old native of San Mateo, California then got even hotter on his back nine, sinking four consecutive birdies in a run which ended at the 16th, where he knocked a nine-iron to within three feet of the flag.

Fred Funk, the leading 2002 PGA Tour money winner in the tournament at number 25, carded a 65 to share second place alongside Loren Roberts and Brandel Chamblee.

Allen, who is winless on the US Tour, was overjoyed to produce his best score since a career-low 63 in the 1990 Nissan Open.

The Californian turned professional in 1984 but quit the game for three years during the mid-1980s.

Allen spent last year on the Buy.com Tour, but played well in the two majors he entered, finishing tied for 12th at the US Open and joint-19th at the PGA Championship.

A total of 18 players are within three shots of Allen’s first-round lead. David Berganio, Jr., John Huston, Andrew Magee and Bob Heintz are tied for fifth at six-under 66 while another 10 players are bunched on 67.

Among those at five-under is Len Mattiace, who won the first PGA Tour title of his career in last week’s Nissan Open.

Depending champion Garrett Willis posted a one-under 71 and is tied for 78th. He became the 11th player to post his first PGA Tour victory at the Tucson Open, shooting a 15-under 273.

Andy Miller, who shot a course-record 62 during Monday’s qualifying round, returned a level-par 72 on Thursday. He is the son of Johnny Miller, who claimed four Tucson Open titles between 1974 and 1981.

Leading first round scores (US unless stated):

64 — Michael Allen.

65 — Brandel Chamblee, Fred Funk, Loren Roberts.

66 — David Berganio, Jr, Bob Heintz, John Huston, Andrew Magee.

67 — Russ Cochran, David Gossett, Paul Goydos, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain), Steve Jones, Len Mattiace, Spike McRoy, David Peoples, Jerry Smith, Bob Tway.

68 — Jeff Brehaut, K.J. Choi (South Korea), Brian Claar, Dan Forsman, J.P. Hayes, Peter Jordan, Han Lee, Ian Leggatt (Canada), Peter Lonard (Australia), Michael Long (New Zealand), David Morland IV, Gary Nicklaus, Steve Pate, Dennis Paulson, Phil Tataurangi (New Zealand).—Reuters