Watch John Rollins roll in a birdie putt at the 18th hole Thursday.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

FORT WORTH, Texas -- John Rollins rolled in his longest putt of the day, a birdie putt just inside 22 feet, to cap off a 7-under 63 in Thursday's first round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

That puts him just one stroke off the lead held by Ryan Palmer, who shot 62 from a morning tee time. Both players are members at Colonial.

Rollins produced the low round of any player teeing off in the afternoon.

The three-time TOUR winner is making his 11th start in this event but has rarely experienced much success at Colonial. He's missed the cut seven times and his best finish is a tie for 24th in 2007.

The 63 is his best round at Colonial by four strokes.

Click below to listen to Rollins discuss his round with SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio's Bill Rosinski.

Ryan Palmer had one of the best driving rounds of his career on Thursday. (Halleran/Getty Images)

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The challenge from caddie James Edmondson to his pro, Ryan Palmer, came late on  their back nine in Thursday's first round at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

See if you can match my low score on this course.

"What do you do when you get that thrown at you?" Palmer said with a laugh.

Indeed, it doesn't happen often that a caddie has a better track record at a course than the man whose bag he's carrying.

Palmer is a three-time winner on the PGA TOUR with nearly $14 million in earnings, but it's his good friend Edmondson who knows how to best succeed at Colonial. After all, he's a three-time Colonial club champion.

But with Palmer having the round of his life on his home course -- the Texas native has lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for several years and has been a Colonial member since 2010 -- Edmondson threw down the gauntlet. And Palmer responded. He birdied his final hole, the par-4 ninth, to shoot an 8-under 62.

That ties for the lowest opening round in tournament history. It ties for Palmer's lowest round of his career. And apparently it ties Edmondson's low round on this venerable course.

"We had a good laugh on that one," Palmer said.

It was a day for Palmer to finally feel good.

Two weeks ago, another close friend, Clay Aderholt, died in an auto accident. Palmer, with Clay's initials on his cap, finished tied for fifth that week at THE PLAYERS Championship, a tournament in which he usually struggles. Last week, after traveling back from Aderholt's memorial service, Palmer started strong at the HP Byron Nelson Championship before fading on the weekend.

This week, he's on comfortable and familiar ground. He plays Colonial "at least once or twice" a week during his off-weeks, even more in the winter. On those days, he meets his friends at 12:30 in the afternoon for the "Big Game." He gives them several shots. The laughs are plenty. It's a time for Palmer to enjoy golf without having to grind.

That's probably the reason he's never come close, even in those stress-free outings, to shooting the kind of score he shot on Thursday. He said his lowest practice score has been a 65.

"Half the time, I might grab a few on the back nine and drink it myself," Palmer said with a smile.

But all the rounds left Palmer feeling extremely comfortable on Thursday. He hit 12 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens, and the majority of his birdie putts were inside 7 feet.

Palmer used driver on 11 of 14 driving holes and never found trouble. Coming into this week, Palmer ranked 128th in driving accuracy this year on the PGA TOUR.

"I felt comfortable over every tee shot," Palmer said. "... The way I hit it, I drew it up perfectly like I wanted to."

Unlike last week at TPC Four Seasons, Palmer didn't have Edmondson choosing his club for each shot. They've used that approach the last three years at the HP Byron Nelson, but for every other tournament, it's Palmer who has final say.

At Colonial, he doesn't even need to use his yardage book. He knows the course that well.

"It helps, obviously, the experience I have had here," Palmer said.

Nothing would delight him more than to see his name on the Wall of Champions at the first tee box. Having that honor at a club in which he's a member would be extra special. He said he dreams about it all the time.

"I can't begin to tell you what it would mean if it happens," Palmer said. "Hopefully I'll be able to tell you on Sunday."

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Rickie Fowler chipped in for birdie from 38 feet on the par-5 11th during Thursday's first round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

Orange and gray have worked well for Summerhays this month. (Ehrmann/Getty Images)

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Earlier this month, Daniel Summerhays wore an orange shirt and gray slacks for the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship. He posted eight birdies that day en route to a 5-under 67.

On Thursday in the first round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, he wore the same outfit ... and tied his career-high with nine birdies en route to shooting a 5-under 65.

Coincidence? He thinks not.

"It's probably the orange and gray outfit," Summerhays said. "I seem to make a lot of birdies in this outfit.

"Maybe I can wash this a little bit and use it the rest of the day."

Had it not been for a double bogey at the par-4 ninth when his approach shot landed in the water guarding the front of the green, he'd be right on the heels of Ryan Palmer, the leader who shot a bogey-free 62 with eight birdies.

Summerhays had an early tee time Thursday, and with almost no wind, conditions at Colonial were ripe for scoring. He doesn't expect it to stay that way.

"It's going to start showing its teeth," said Summerhays, whose best result this year a a tie for seventh at the Valero Texas Open, his last start in the state. "I was glad to make the birdies while I could."

Matt Kuchar reflects on his first round with Bill Rosinski from SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

FORT WORTH, Texas -- As much as Matt Kuchar loves Colonial -- "One of my favorite courses on the PGA TOUR," he says -- his results haven't been particularly impressive.

Although Kuchar has made every cut in six previous starts at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, his only top-10 finish was a ninth in 2008. Consider this: Between 2010-12, Kuchar posted top-10 finishes in 40 percent of his starts, but he's 0-for-3 at this tournament.

"I probably haven't been quite as sharp as I would like to be around this time," Kuchar explained. "I'd say this year I feel a lot sharper."

He certainly looked a lot sharper in Thursday's first round, shooting a 5-under 65 -- his lowest opening round at Colonial by three strokes.

Starting his round off the 10th tee, Kuchar credited his opening tee shot to setting the tone. Instead of pulling a hybrid as he normally does on the hole, he opted for a 3-wood, an aggressive play that paid off when he found the fairway and needed only a pitching wedge from 127 yards.

His approach landed inside 7 feet, and he drained the birdie for a quick start.

"There was some good momentum going after hitting a couple of good shots and getting off to a birdie on my first hole," Kuchar said.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Following an 1-under 69 in Thursday's opening round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, defending champion Zach Johnson reflects on his play with Fred Albers from SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio.

Ryan Palmer discusses his 62 on Thursday with SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio's Fred Albers.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Ryan Palmer, a member at Colonial Country Club, shot a bogey-free 8-under 62 in Thursday's first round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, tying for the lowest opening round in tournament history.

The 62 also ties Palmer's career low round. It's the fifth time he has shot 62 at a TOUR event.

Palmer joins Patrick Sheehan (2005), David Toms (2011) and Chez Reavie (2011) for low opening round.

Palmer's 62 is also just the eighth recorded in any round at Colonial. The course record of 61 is held by six players.

Palmer's 62 leaves him atop the leaderboard midway through the first round, two shots ahead of Morgan Hoffmann.

Starting on the 10th hole, Palmer reeled off four consecutive birdies starting at No. 14. After making the turn, he birdied the par-5 first hole, and then birdied three of his last four holes.

Five of Palmer's eight birdie putts were less than 7 feet, as he had his irons dialed in all day.

RYAN PALMER'S LOWEST ROUNDS ON PGA TOUR

Matt Every opened with a 5-under 65 in Thursday's first round at Colonial. (Halleran/Getty Images)

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Matt Every hasn't been happy with his putter this year, and the stats back him up. He ranks 130th on the PGA TOUR in strokes gained-putting, and his ranking is even worse on putts from 5-15 feet.

Two weeks ago at THE PLAYERS Championship, he led the field in greens in regulation, normally a precursor to being in contention at the TOUR's flagship event. But he ranked 70th in strokes gained-putting, leaving him in a tie for 26th on the final scoreboard.

On Thursday, though, Every rolled in a birdie putt from 12 feet, another from 13-1/2 feet, and for good measure drained a 20-footer in the first round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

No surprise that his score reflected his hot putter -- a 5-under 65, his lowest round on TOUR since early February.

"It's been a pretty bad year for what I am expecting this year for myself," Every said. "That the way it goes sometimes. I've putted horrible.

"I can deal with hitting it bad because then you can make putts and it just covers up so much stuff. But when you putt horribly it just drives you nuts."

At TPC Sawgrass, Every used an oversize putting grip and went with a cross-handed approach, but after struggling on the greens that week, he's back to a smaller grip and conventional approach.

He thinks the switch made an impact on Thursday.

"Sometimes you need the feel in your hands to kind of steer it in," Every said. "You can't really steer it in when you take the feel out of the putt with the big grip.

"So I put a small one back on and then just went to conventional and trying not to care about the result as much."

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Prior to Thursday's opening round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Tom Werme and Fred Albers from SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio discuss how the weather has effected the growing conditions on the golf course.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Carl Pettersson opened his first round Thursday at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial with three consecutive birdies and is 6 under through his first 13 holes.

That puts him atop the early first-round leaderboard. Matt Every (through 16 holes) and Brendon de Jonge (through 15) are each at 5 under.

Pettersson, Every and de Jonge have yet to make a bogey in their rounds.

In eight previous starts at Colonial, Pettersson's best finish is a tie for 22 in 2010 when he opened with a 5-under 65.

Several players are at 4 under, including Matt Kuchar and Ryan Palmer, the latter having posted four straight birdies near the end of his front nine.

Defending champ Zach Johnson is 1 under through 14, as is playing parter Sang-Moon Bae, last week's winner of the HP Byron Nelson Championship.