Craig Parry shot his best score in nearly three months, a one-under-par 69, in the opening round at the NEC Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

Parry, who freely admits he is taking it easy this year thanks to the five-year exemption he earned on the US Tour by winning this event last year, showed signs of life on a steamy morning at Firestone.

A nice birdie from two metres at the last left him in a chirpy mood: "I played quite nicely. It's been a long time," he said.

"I drove the ball very well and you get rewarded for hitting good drives here. I also made a nice par save (from five metres) on 15."

Parry won last year's event on the Sahalee course in Seattle, but he also likes Firestone, where he tied for third behind Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in 1999.

British Open champion Ben Curtis showed that perhaps he won't be a one-hit wonder when he carded 64 to take the clubhouse lead, one stroke ahead of Tiger Woods and Darren Clarke.

Despite hitting only seven fairways, Curtis did not drop a shot, picking up six birdies to set an impressive pace.

He will have a problem if he is on the leader board after the second round, because he is scheduled to marry on Saturday at 5pm in nearby Kent, about a 30-minute drive away.

The halfway leaders will tee off last on Saturday, and the third round doesn't finish until 6.30, which is why the wedding guests have been warned that the time of the ceremony is subject to change.

"I'm more nervous about the tee time for Saturday now," Curtis said.

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