Luke Guthrie leads a 1-2-3 American leaderboard in China at BMW Masters

Early leader Luke Guthrie of the U.S. hits out of a bunker on 7th green during the first round of the BMW Masters golf tournament at the Lake Malaren Golf Club in Shanghai, China, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) (The Associated Press)

John Daly of the U.S. greets the spectator after he made a birdie putt at 7th green during the first round of the BMW Masters golf tournament at the Lake Malaren Golf Club in Shanghai, China, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013. Playing for the first time since surgery to repair the tendon in his right elbow, Daly played bogey-free in strong wind and opened with a 4-under 68 in the BMW Masters to trail Luke Guthrie by three shots. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) (The Associated Press)

SHANGHAI – Luke Guthrie took only 19 putts in his round of 7-under 65 in the BMW Masters to give Americans the top three spots on the leaderboard Thursday in the BMW Masters.

That group includes John Daly, who had a 68 in his first tournament since surgery on his right elbow in July. Right behind was Peter Uihlein, an active member on the European Tour. He made six birdies in his round of 69.

Guthrie played last week in Las Vegas. He took a break from the PGA Tour because he wanted to experience the world of golf. He only arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday and spent most of Wednesday getting over jet lag. And then he handled a windswept day at Lake Malaren by chipping in for birdie and eagle.