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| - Britain's Justin Rose fired a seven-under par 63 Thursday to seize the early lead as the US PGA Tour ended a 91-day coronavirus shutdown and paid tribute to George Floyd. Rose, the 2013 US Open champion, birdied seven of his first 12 holes then closed with six pars to grab a one-stroke clubhouse lead over Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas and Mexico's Abraham Ancer at the Charles Schwab Challenge. "Could have maybe gotten it into the clubhouse better than seven in the end, but honestly, great start," Rose said of his bogey-free round. "Rode my luck a little bit on the back nine, my front nine, and that was the key to the day." No spectators were allowed at Colonial Country Club, where increased safety measures included social distancing and temperature taking in the wake of the deadly disease outbreak. World number one Rory McIlroy, second-ranked Jon Rahm and third-ranked Brooks Koepka were among the late starters in Fort Worth, Texas. Spain's Rahm could overtake four-time major winner McIlroy for the top spot with a win if the Northern Ireland star finishes in a four-way tie for second or solo third or worse. The event observed a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. for George Floyd, whose killing by a white policeman in Minnesota sparked worldwide protests over racial and social injustice. The time, 8:46, represents the eight minutes and 46 seconds in which the policeman held a knee to the back of the handcuffed black man. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan stood in silence at the first tee while three short air horn blasts halted play across the course as well as work on the practice putting green and driving range. Prime scoring conditions greeted players with sunny skies and little to no wind. England's Rose, who turns 40 next month, began on the back nine and opened by holing out from 25 feet with a 3-wood after missing the green. "Welcome back - it was a great start," Rose said. Rose added a birdie from eight feet at the 12th and followed by sinking an 18-footer for birdie at the par-3 13th. The reigning Olympic champion struck again at the par-3 16th, holing a 12-foot birdie putt, and then ran off three birdies in a row to begin his second nine -- making a four-foot putt at the par-5 first, a six-footer at the second and a 13-footer at the par-4 third -- before parring home. "Didn't play particularly well the first six or seven holes but the putter was really hot and I got into a nice rhythm on the back nine, started hitting fairways and greens." Rose was inspired during the three-month layoff to return strong after a slow start to the year. "I worked hard. I haven't sat around thinking about it," Rose said. "Gave me a little extra motivation to work hard and find a point I hadn't had this year." A group two adrift on 65 included 61-year-old American Tom Lehman, the 1996 British Open winner who won the Colonial crown in 1995. "I've been aiming for this week for a while," Lehman said. "I've been playing a lot, practising a lot. My game feels pretty good." He's the oldest player to shoot so low on tour in 40 years and the 65 was his lowest round since the first round of the 2011 Phoenix Open. "I'd probably be lying if I said I fully expected to shoot such a score," Lehman said. "But I did expect to play well." South Korea's Kang Sung made a hole-in-one at the par-3 13th. js/gph
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