By Christopher Powers
It’s all about the long game on today’s PGA Tour, which explains why players like Danny Lee are doing everything in their power to gain more power. For Lee, that meant making a slight swing change, which has helped him add a few extra yards off the tee.

“For some reason starting from Korea, my game felt really really good,” said Lee, who opened with a nine-under 62 on Friday at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. “I changed my swing a little bit to gain distance off the tee and I really feel like the new swing is grooving into my body now. I feel very comfortable with all my clubs and even with my wedges and I think it’s showing, it’s been showing me a lot of good results.”

That it has. In five starts this year, Lee has already earned $1.3 million, much of that due to a solo second at the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges. But he backed that up with a T-10 at the Zozo Championship and kept the good momentum rolling on Friday. He flirted with 59, going seven-under through eight, then reaching 10 under with a birdie at the 13th. He finally cooled off with a bogey at the par-4 14th, then parred his way home to match the lowest round of his career on the PGA Tour.

Lee leads by one over Brendon Todd and Adam Long, who combined for 16 birdies and just one bogey, which came from Long. Vaughn Taylor, Zach Johnson, Mark Hubbard and Chris Baker are tied for fourth at seven-under.

Billy Horschel, one of the tournament favourites, shot a six-under 65 and sits in a tie for eighth with Harris English.