He lost his way early on the back nine when he made two double bogeys in succession on 10 and 11 to drop back to four-over par.
The former New Zealand Eisenhower rep rallied well with four birdies in five holes on the back nine to get back to even par before bogeying the 18th to sign for a 71.
Meanwhile, on the web.com Tour, formerly the Nationwide Tour, Hamilton professional Steve Alker has shot a three-under 68 to be tied 10th at the Midwest Classic in Kansas.
Alker, who finished tied 19th at the Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes this year, had three birdies in a bogey free round to be only three shots off the lead.
Manawatu professional Tim Wilkinson has played 13 holes and was also three-under par before play was suspended due to darkness and will resume tomorrow.
Americans Aaron Watkins and Jason Gore share the first round lead after opening with six-under par 66s respectively.
Wilkinson and Alker are currently 66th and 83rd on the web.com Tour Money List respectively and need to finish in the top 25 to automatically qualify for the PGA Tour in 2013.
On the Japan Golf Tour, Auckland professional Richard Lee has shot a one-under par 70 at the Kansai Open Golf Championship to be in a share of 26th place.
Lee had 33 putts in his round that included five birdies and four bogeys. He will begin round two six shots back from Japan's Toshinori Muto (64).
Lee, who is the only golfer to shoot a 59 in competitive golf in New Zealand, had his best finish in the opening event of the year when he tied for 26th at the Token Homemate Cup.
He is currently 98th on the Japan Golf Tour money list with $31,000(NZD) and needs to climb inside the top 70 players on the Order of Merit to retain his status on the Japan Tour.
