P – Peter Senior has raised hope of breaking his Champions Tour victory duck in their biggest event, the US Senior Open.

Australian Open champion Senior fired a bogey-free two-under-par 68 to be one shot off the lead after the first round at Omaha Country Club on Thursday.

The 53-year-old Queenslander has had numerous near misses among his five second placings, five thirds and 30 top-10 finishes since joining the Champions Tour in 2011.

However he will have his hands full this week.

Kenny Perry, who won the Senior Players Championship two weeks ago, shot a 67 to share the lead with six other players.

Michael Allen, Jay Don Blake, Gary Hallberg, Mark O’Meara, Tom Lehman and Fred Funk all posted the same score.

It’s the first time there have been as many as seven co-leaders after the first round at a US Senior Open. The previous record was five in 1997.

The hills at the 6,700-yard Omaha Country Club took a toll on the field of golfers age 50 and over, especially in the afternoon as temperatures peaked.

Chien Soon Lu, Rocco Mediate and 2010 champion Bernhard Langer 68s were tied with Senior one behind the leaders.

Colin Montgomerie, who turned 50 last month and is playing in his second senior event, had 69.

Tom Watson, who played with Langer and Montgomerie and drew the largest galleries of the day, struggled with his irons while shooting a 70 that included one birdie and one bogey.

Fred Couples, coming off three straight runner-up finishes on the Champions Tour, had a 71.