The West Australian was almost immediately in the red at the Albertsons Boise Open. Lee making eagle at the par-5 2nd hole followed six straight pars then a birdie at the 9th to turn in three-under.

Managing to remain bogey-free for the rest of the round, Lee went on a low scoring run over four holes starting at the 14th that rocketed him up the leaderboard, where he sat on top for much of Thursday until American Phillip Knowles came in late with a 10-under total.

Lee’s birdie at the par-4 14th was followed by an eagle at the par-4 next, with two more birdies to see the 24-year-old reach eight-under and sign for a 63 and in second alone.

There will be 25 players who receive PGA Tour cards at the end of the three event Finals series, while 25 players have already gained status from the regular season standings, including New South Welshman Harrison Endycott.

Endycott, who will try and improve his category in the Finals, sits in a share of 46th at three-under alongside fellow Aussie Anthony Quayle who was a last minute addition to the Finals series.

Trying to regain his PGA Tour card, Victorian Aaron Baddeley sits in a share of eighth after a bogey-free round of his own, the four-time PGA Tour winner signing for a six-under 65.

Attempting to make the transition from the DP World Tour to the American circuit, Lee’s fellow West Australian and regular travel companion Jason Scrivener opened with a one-under 70, good enough for a share of 89th after round one.