Updated

Brendan Steele opened the Travelers Championship on Thursday by shooting an 8-under 62, two shy of the course record.

The 31-year-old Californian started his round with an eagle, holing out from 129 yards in the rain. He went on to birdie six of the next 12 holes, but closed the bogey-free round with five straight pars.

"On 14, I started to think 59, which is probably why I slowed down a little bit," he said.

Steele, who has two top-10 finishes this season, didn't qualify for last week's U.S. Open. He instead watched from the stands as his favorite hockey team, the Los Angeles Kings, won the Stanley Cup.

The course record at River Highlands is 60, set in 2011 by Patrick Cantlay as an amateur.