RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. -- Kevin Na posted a 9-under 62 to move to the top of the leaderboard after the first round of the $500,000Mark Christopher Charity Classic, the 27th Nationwide Tour event of the season.

Na’s round equals the Empire Lakes Golf Course record set on two previous occasions -- most recently by Jess Daley in 2003 and also by Steve Haskins in 2001 when the 7,017-yard layout played as a par 72. One shouldn’t be surprised, as the Rancho Cucamonga resident calls the course his home.

“I knew the course record was a 62 and my best round out here is a 62,” said Na, a 23-year-old native of Seoul, South Korea. “When I birdied the seventh hole -- my 16th of the day -- I knew I needed one more to break the record. But although it was a 62, it was tough (this afternoon). I would say it probably played two strokes tougher than it played this morning.”

Na -- who broke his hand in a car-door accident in January -- is making his first tournament start since withdrawing from the Shell Houston Open following an opening-round 77 in late April. Instead of taking his doctor’s advice following the injury, Na tried to play through the pain -- eventually making nine starts on the PGA TOUR before calling it quits in Houston. He is currently No. 201 on the PGA TOUR money list, and is using this week as a tune-up before the Frys.com Open next week in Las Vegas.

“It was stupid to try and play after that (hand injury),” said Na. “I was taking so many painkillers. I finally got to the point where I knew if I kept playing my future was going to be bad. I’m excited to be back. I’ll play next week in Vegas and then in Tampa and then I’ll have 20 tournaments next year to keep my card.”

Na’s familiarity with Empire Lakes showed on Thursday, as his bogey-free round consisted of nine birdies and 15 of 18 greens hit in regulation.

“I needed to play before my first TOUR start and this week is perfect because I know the course,” said Na, who missed the cut at this tournament in 2001 at the age of 18. “I haven’t played here as much as people think but I’ve played here a lot. But the last time I’ve walked this course was when I played here five years ago in my first tournament as a pro.”

Chez Reavie, Jason Allred and Bob Heintz are two shots behind Na after firing matching 7-under 64s.

Reavie -- the winner of the 2001 U.S. Public Links Championship -- posted his only bogey at the par-3 second hole before reeling off nine birdies on his final 16 holes. Included in that stretch was a stellar 6-under 30 on the back nine, highlighted by three straight birdies to close the round.

“I missed some short birdie putts on the front nine but the putts started falling on the back nine,” said Reavie, a resident of Scottsdale, AZ. “After the bogey on No. 2, I really didn’t sniff a bogey the rest of the way.”

After making the first 15 cuts of the season, Reavie’s last three starts have yielded missed cuts in Utah and Idaho, followed by a tie for 42nd place in his most recent start at the Oregon Classic Presented by Kendall Automotive Group. That slide also has placed Reavie perilously close to the cutoff point of the top 60 players who will advance to the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship at The Houstonian. He enters the final month of the season in the 57th spot on the money list.

“I just want to go play golf every day and not think about it,” said Reavie. “I was getting caught up in making cuts but on this Tour you’re not really rewarded for making cuts. You are rewarded for top-10 finishes.”

Recently finding a minor flaw in his golf swing, Reavie lined up some sessions with his swing coach Peter Kostis that has the former Arizona State University standout geared up for the Tour’s stretch run. That tip paid off on Thursday, as he was nearly flawless in hitting 12 of 14 fairways and 17 of 18 greens in regulation.

“It was all alignment,” said Reavie. “Luckily a few lessons with Peter have got me back on track. I hit the ball well all day. It was probably my best ball-striking round of the year.”

First Round News & Notes: Kevin Na’s 62 equals the best opening 18-hole score of the season … Na’s bogey-free round was one of six on the day. Others were posted by Bob Heintz (64), John Merrick (66), Brenden Pappas (66), Michael Putnam (67) and Jeff Hart (68) … In 26 tournaments so far in 2006, Tripp Isenhour (Movistar Panama Championship and the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship) and Doug LaBelle II (Price Cutter Charity Championship) are the only players to carry the 18-hole lead on to victory …Erik Compton withdrew during the round due to allergies, while Kyle Thompson withdrew following the round with an injury.