PGA Tour: Paul Casey produced a superb round on day one of the Sony Open

England’s Paul Casey made a superb start to the Sony Open in Hawaii, shooting an eight-under-par round of 62 and failing to equal the competitive course record by a single shot.

The 37-year-old carded nine birdies at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu as he set the early pace alongside American Webb Simpson.

Casey is usually in the Middle East at this time of year but has opted to play at Waialae for the first time in a decade and appears to have made a smart decision.

There was hardly any wind on Thursday along the shores down from Waikiki Beach and scoring was low.

Casey began his round at the 10th and kicked off with a birdie, before going on to pick up a further shot at 14.

And the three-time member of the European Ryder Cup team then charged up the leaderboard with a run of five birdies in a row on 17, 18, 1, 2 and 3.

He also birdied five and, although his only blemish of the day came when he made a five at the par-four sixth, he bounced back with a birdie at nine, his 18th.

"I don't know what to say. I mean, I'm ecstatic," Casey said. "First, I'm loving being in Hawaii. I have not been here for a long time. The last time I was here was 2010 when I played in Maui, and it's just, it's great to be back.

"I had no idea what to expect today, so I'm over the moon with that round."

Simpson also played the back nine first but he was just one-under at the turn, before making seven birdies as he shot 28 for his front nine and joined Casey on eight-under.

But Simpson's effort was all the more remarkable considering he was using a conventional putter for the first time on the PGA Tour, having relied on an anchored, belly putter for over 10 years.

Live PGA Tour Golf

"Today was a big day for me," said the former US Open champion. "It was one of my best putting rounds I've ever had to be honest.

"I made a lot of putts. I didn't hit it great on the back nine, my first nine holes, but then I started driving it well. If you drive it well around this golf course, you're going to give yourself opportunities."

Camilo Villegas had a 63, shooting 29 on the front nine before cooling down somewhat, while Jason Day and Matt Kuchar are among those at 65.