Matt Kuchar has carried on his good form from the Masters to fire a five-under par 66 for a share of the first-round lead at the USPGA event in South Carolina.

Fellow Americans Scott Langley and William McGirt, each seeking a first tour triumph, were level with Kuchar after 18 holes at Harbour Town on Thursday to sit two shots ahead of Harris English.

Australian Greg Chalmers withdrew after going five-over through five holes with a back injury.

Jordan Spieth, the 20-year-old talent who shared second-place honours at Augusta National last week, was in a pack of 15 players on 69.

Four days after briefly sharing the lead in the final round of the Masters with Spieth and eventual winner Bubba Watson, world No.6 Kuchar was back in contention just a few hours down the road.

Kuchar, who began off the 10th tee, birdied the course’s three par-5 holes — the second, fifth and 15th — and birdied the ninth and 13th as well in a bogey-free round to grab his share of the lead.

“It was some awfully steady golf,” Kuchar said.

McGirt ran off four birdies in a row from the second through fifth holes and added another at the ninth, taking his lone bogey at 15 but answering with a birdie at the par-3 17th.

Langley, who birdied the second hole, had a run of four birdies in a row as well from the par-3 fourth to the par-3 seventh, then answered a bogey at the eighth with a birdie at nine. On the back nine he birdied the par-3 14th but took another bogey at 18.

Spieth, who would have been the youngest champion in Masters history, said: “I was anxious to get back out and play another competitive round of golf.

“So today was going to be kind of therapy, in a sense, from last week, to get back out and try and make some birdies.”

Spieth made four birdies and two bogeys to stand three strokes off the pace, playing alongside Davis Love and Tom Watson.

“He spoke some words of wisdom to me, on and off the course,” Spieth said of Watson. “Obviously talking with him is priceless.”