Luke List fired an opening-round 63 at Gullane Golf Club to assume the pole position after day one of the 2018 ASI Scottish Open.

List got off to a strong start, carding five birdies against one bogey over a six-hole stretch on Nos. 3-8 to turn in 31. The 33-year old American made a second bogey on No. 10 but followed with four more birdies over the next five holes (Nos. 11, 12, 14, and 15) en route a course record-tying round of 63.

“I three putted number two, the par five,” said List, who will make his first start in the Open Championship next week.

“It seemed like everybody – to walk away with par, that woke me up a little bit and I got off to a good run after that and holed a lot of mid-range putts, which I haven’t been doing in the last month or two, so nice to see a few puts go in.

“The wind is a little tricky on the back, a bunch of crosswind and that left-to-right into on three or four holes, so that’s a bit tricky out there and I just managed to make a few mid-range putts and that helps the scorecard.

“The weather changes so much around here so hard to say if it will be a good draw or bad draw, but I think not too early is good. I get to sleep in a little bit and hopefully get some fresh greens and get after that.

One behind List was another American in Rickie Fowler, who opened with a 6-under 64 to share the early clubhouse lead.

The 29-year old American star, who won the Scottish Open at Gullane in 2015, also got off to a torrid start with a hat trick of birdies on Nos. 2, 3, and 4, followed by an eagle on No. 6 to quickly reach 5-under par. He cooled off going home, though, with two birdies offsetting one bogey in his final 12 holes.

“The front was playing easier than the back and getting off and getting under par makes it a lot easier to hold on or try to get a couple extra on the way in,” said Fowler.

“Feel like I can a good job of that, 5-under through six. Got a couple early in the back and would have been nice to keep it clean. After the bogey, maybe make a couple more birdies coming in.

“But the back nine is playing tougher with where the wind is, and looking at the weekend, I think the wind is going to switch back, so it may switch around to where the front may play potentially harder than the back.”

At T2, Fowler was joined by former world No. 1 Lee Westwood, who turned back the clock on Thursday, posting a flawless round of 64 with a six-pack of gains.

One further back was Patrick Reed, who also got off to a dream start with five-straight birdies on Nos. 2-6, followed by a sixth gain on No. 9 to turn in 29. But the reigning Masters winner closed with eight pars against one bogey to finish at 5-under 65. World No. 23 Tyrrell Hatton was also at 65, as was Irishman Paul Dunne and South African Dylan Frittelli, among others.

Another recent Masters winner, Danny Willett, continues to impress in what appears to be a serious return to form after a lengthy slump. The Englishman posted a first-day 66 with six birdies offsetting two bogeys. At 4-under par, he was tied with 10 others, headlined by last week’s winner Russell Knox of Scotland, England’s Ian Poulter, and Chinese Li Haotong.

SCOTTISH OPEN: TOP 10

1. Luke List -7
2. Robert Rock -6
2. Rickie Fowler -6
2. Jens Dantorp -6
2. Scott Fernandez -6
2. Lee Westwood -6
7. Richard Sterne -5
7. Matthew Southgate -5
7. Julien Guerrier -5
7. Peter Whiteford -5
7. Tyrrell Hatton -5
7. Patrick Reed -5
7. Dylan Frittelli -5
7. Robert Karlsson -5

SCOTTISH OPEN: NOTABLES

15. Haotong Li -4
15. Danny Willett -4
15. Russell Knox -4
15. Ian Poulter -4
26. Justin Rose -3
26. Paul Dunne -3
45. Shubhankar Sharma -2
45. Matthew Fitzpatrick -2
45. Chris Wood -2
45. Hideki Matsuyama -2
45. Thomas Pieters -2
45. Matt Kuchar -2
45. Cameron Smith -2
45. Edoardo Molinari -2
71. Kevin Chappell -1
71. Julian Suri -1
71. Martin Kaymer -1
71. Graeme McDowell -1
71. Kiradech Aphibarnrat -1
97. Phil Mickelson E
97. Ernie Els E
120. Andy Sullivan +1
120. Darren Clarke +1
120. Matt Wallace +1
138. Peter Uihlein +2
138. Rafa Carbrera-Bello +2

HOW LUKE LIST SCORED

Par-3 Scoring: -3 (3 Birdies, 1 Par)
Par-4 Scoring: -4 (6 Birdies, 4 Pars, 2 Bogeys)
Par-4 Scoring: E (2 Pars)
Total Scoring: -7 (9 Birdies, 7 Pars, 2 Bogeys)
Key Scoring: Birdies on Nos. 4 (3, +1.18), 11 (3, +1.02), and 15 (3, +1.15) each produced over one-full stroke gained against the field.

QUOTABLE: LUKE LIST

“It’s been over a dozen years since I’ve been to the UK to play golf, and my first Open next week, so excited about that. Got some good memories here… I haven’t gotten off to a lot of fast starts in first round of tournaments I’ve played, so it’s nice to get near the lead or even in the lead.”
– Luke List