PONTE VEDRA BEACH: Germany’s Martin Kaymer birdied his last four holes to complete a record-tying nine-under par 63 Thursday for a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the US PGA Players Championship.

Kaymer, who began on the 10th tee, fired the lowest nine-hole score in Players history, a seven-under 29 on the front side at TPC Sawgrass.

“Today was a very special round,” Kaymer said. “I didn’t make many mistakes.” Kaymer’s 63 matched Fred Couples in 1992, Greg Norman in 1994 and Roberto Castro last year for the lowest round in the tournament’s 40-year history.

That moved Kaymer, the 2010 PGA Championship winner, two strokes clear of American Russell Henley with South Korean Bae sang-Moon three shots adrift in third at the $10 million event.

A pack in fourth on 67 included reigning US Open champion Justin Rose, fellow Englishman Lee Westwood, Spaniards Sergio Garcia and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Americans Brian Stuard, Jordan Spieth, Gary Woodland and Scott Stallings.

Kaymer made short birdie putts at the par-5 11th and par-4 15th, but sizzled after the turn, starting with a 26-foot birdie putt at the first.

Kaymer reached the green at the par-5 second in two and tapped in for birdie, then added a 14-foot birdie at the fourth before closing with four birdies in a row.

The stellar final run included a 17-foot putt at the par-3 eighth and a tap-in birdie at the par-5 ninth after blasting out of a bunker just 20 inches from the cup.

Henley, who missed the cut last year in his Players debut, fired a back-nine 30 that matched the low back-nine mark, with no putt longer than 16 feet.

Henley opened with three birdies in the first four holes but suffered his lone stumble of the day at the par-4 seventh when his tee shot found the water on his way to a double bogey.

Henley answered by opening the back nine with three birdies in a row and running off three more in a row from the 15th through 17th holes.

Henley, 25, seeks his third PGA title, having won last year’s Sony Open in Hawaii in his first start as a PGA Tour member and taken a four-way playoff to win the Honda Classic in March.

Four players in the field are able to dethrone Tiger Woods from atop the world rankings this week but after the first 18 holes none of them were in the position they needed to do so.

Aussie Adam Scott, who needs a top-16 showing, found water off the tee at 17 and 18 and finished with back-to-back double bogeys for a 77 to share 133rd place.

Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, who must finish in the top six, opened on 71 to share 48th.

American Matt Kuchar, who must win to have a chance, began and ended the back nine with double bogeys to also stand on 71.

American Bubba Watson, in his first event since winning his second Masters title last month, opened on 69 to share 19th. He needs to finish second alone for a chance at No.1 Monday.

Rose, preparing to defend the major title he won last year at Merion next month at Pinehurst, had an “awful” warm-up session but shined on the course.

Lee on top in Seoul

In Seoul, South Korea’s Lee Kyoung-Hoon fired a six-under-par 66 on Friday to grab a two-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the $1 million GS Caltex Maekyung Open.

Lee sits ten-under in the OneAsia event at the par-72 Namseoul Country Club and would be taking a bigger lead into the weekend if it wasn’t for a stunning 64 by compatriot Park Jun-Won.

Park is alone in second place after the lowest round of the tournament so far over the 6,943-yard (meters) course on the southern outskirts of the South Korean capital.

Kim Woo-Hyun (68) and Australian Scott Hend (66) are at seven under, while Park Sang-Hyun (66) is fifth, a shot further back.

Lee is familiar with Namseoul having played the course dozens of times while a member of the Korean national amateur team that won Gold at the Asian Games in 2010.

“It is a big advantage for me as I have played here so often,” the 22-year-old said in comments released by the organizers.

“My putting has been very good, particularly from around 10 feet. These greens are very tough so you have to putt very well if you want to score here,” he added.