Arjun Atwal, the first Indian golfer to play in the USPGA, fired a scorching 68 in the first round of the five million-dollar Shell Houston Open in Houston, Texas, to finish joint third after Day One.

Leading the field was Australian Rodney Pampling with a six-under-par 66 one stroke ahead of American Chris Riley.

The four others sharing third place with Atwal were Stephen Ames (Canada), Lucas Glover, Frank Lickliter (both of USA) and South African Deanne Pappas.

Fijian Vijay Singh, the only top-10 player in the tournament, opened with a 74.

Vijay, ranked second in the world, holds the tournament record with a 22-under 266 in 2002. He placed ninth in the tournament last year.