Kruger shot 66 on the first day

Kruger shot 66 on the first day, despite damaging his eight-iron and being unable to use it for much of his round -- a handicap he blamed for a double bogey on the last hole.

"I got it fixed, and I actually used it once," he said of the club. "Yesterday I probably would have used it six times after I bent it. So you know, Murphy's Law."

And he said he hoped to continue his hot form into the weekend at the US$6.1 million event, which is co-sanctioned by the US PGA and the AsianTour.

"I think I'll probably just try to do the same. I've been playing well. I can't really play much better than I am at the moment," Kruger said. "The key is to hit the fairways, hit the greens, and take it from there."