Greg Norman three off pace in Senior Players Championship in Pittsburgh

GREG Norman shot a three-under 67 to be three shots off the pace in his first Champions Tour event since 2009.

Greg Norman

GREG Norman shot a three-under 67 to be three shots off the pace at the Senior Players Championship in Pittsburgh, his first Champions Tour event since 2009.

Bruce Vaughan shot a six-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead over Fred Funk in the third of five Champions Tour majors, but Norman is well in contention.

The Australian had three bogeys in his first round, but kept his round on track with six birdies.

But at the top of the charts, 55-year-old Vaughan matched the lowest round of his career and tied the first-round record on Thursday. He won the 2008 Senior British Open for his lone Champions Tour title.

"I've been hitting the ball pretty good lately. The scores just haven't been very good," Vaughan said.

"Today, it just kind of clicked."
 
Vaughan capped his bogey-free round with a birdie on the par-5  18th, holing an eight-foot putt after hitting his approach into a greenside bunker.

"It wasn't looking very good, to be honest with you," Vaughan said.

"I just executed well and it came off just perfect. When you're playing good, that's the kind of stuff that happens."

Funk had four birdies and a bogey on the final six holes.

"I played pretty solid all day," Funk said. "I had one little hiccup when I missed a little two-footer on 16, but for the first time, you know how people always say, 'You get it back', and you always believe you never will, but I made a 50- or 60-footer on the next hole, so I got it back. And then I made a nice putt on 18. It was really solid, and I'm really pleased with that."

Fred Couples, the winner last year at Westchester Country Club in New York, was two strokes back at Fox Chapel along with Tom Lehman, Michael Allen and Joe Daley.

Couples fought back problems during the round.

"I feel lucky I got through this round with that score and then I have a lot of rest before tomorrow," Couples said. "I'm really, really stiff though. I don't know exactly what's going on. I'm not getting too much sleep, so I'm just not feeling very well."

Temperatures reached 30 degrees celsius and the heat is expected to remain throughout the weekend to the point that organisers reversed a policy and will permit spectators to bring bottled water onto the course.