COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Derek Fathauer shot a bogey-free 8-under 63 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship, the third of four events in the Web.com Tour Finals.
Fathauer, 13th on the Web.com Tour's regular-season money list to secure a 2014-15 PGA Tour card, birdied Nos. 15-17 and closed with a par on Ohio State's Scarlet Course.
"I hit a lot of good golf shots today," Fathauer said. "I was kind of hitting it where I was looking so I almost didn't see the pins out there. I was picking spots. With the slopes on these greens, you kind of have to play it off the slopes and away from the pins and let it feed in there. Just take your 30-footer."
The top 25 players on the Web.com money list are competing against each other for PGA Tour priority, with regular-season earnings counting in their totals and the final leader getting a spot in The Players Championship. The other players -- Nos. 26-75 from the Web.com Tour money list and Nos. 126-200 in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup standings -- are fighting for another 25 cards based on their earnings in the four tournaments.
Andrew Loupe opened with a 64.
"That golf course is not easy," said Loupe, 137th in the FedEx Cup standings. "I have a great deal of respect for it. I guess I was able to keep it in front of me and caught a little draw today, which I think helps for the most part."
Blayne Barber had a 65, and Vaughn Taylor, Tony Finau and John Rollins shot 66.