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Four golfers were bunched atop the leaderboard at 5-under-par 65 when play was suspended due to darkness Thursday in the first round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

Ryan Gerard, Keith Mitchell, Canada’s Taylor Pendrith and Argentina’s Alejandro Tosti share a one-stroke lead at Memorial Park Golf Course.

There were 16 competitors on the course when play was stopped at 7:28 p.m. local time.

Pendrith’s opening 65 was his career low in 11 rounds at the event, besting a 66 in the first round in 2023. Pendrith tied for 36th in Houston last year, his best finish in four tries.

He could have had the lead by himself but carded his lone bogey at No. 18 following six birdies.

Tosti had a bogey-free round, while Mitchell blended an eagle on the par-5 No. 16 with five birdies and two bogeys. Gerard started on the back nine and posted seven birdies before registering bogeys on Nos. 8 and 9 to finish his round.

Last year, Tosti tied for second in his Houston debut, the best finish of his PGA Tour career, after holding a share of the lead entering the final round.

Jackson Suber was in the lead at 6 under with six birdies and no blemishes shortly before play was suspended, but he three-putted on No. 18 to fall to 4-under 66 for the day.

Suber missed his 9-foot par putt, then a 6-foot bogey attempt before sinking a 2 1/2-footer to escape without further damage at the par-4, 485-yard hole.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot a bogey-free 67 and is tied for 13th at 3 under. He birdied the par-5 No. 3 as well as par-3 holes 13 (making a 19-foot putt) and 14 (sinking a 35-footer).

Rory McIlroy, the World No. 2, started on the back nine and shot even-par 70 to tie for 57th. The Northern Irishman made birdies at par-5 holes at Nos. 3 and 8, and bogeys at Nos. 14 and 4 — both par-4 holes.

Defending champion Stephan Jaeger, whose lone PGA Tour victory was at this event, also completed 18 holes at even par. He countered a double-bogey at the par-4 No. 14 with birdies on two par-5 holes, No. 3 and No. 16.

–Field Level Media