Boise, ID (My Sportsbook) - Blake Adams fired an eight-under 63 to take the first-round lead Thursday at the Boise Open.

Adams, chasing his first Nationwide Tour win, collected nine birdies and a lone bogey on the Hillcrest course to match a career-best score.

He grabbed a one-stroke lead over Jonathan Kaye, who bogeyed his last hole to shoot a seven-under 64.

Patrick Sheehan and J.J. Killeen shared third place at six-under 65, with Justin Bolli, Skip Kendall and Martin Piller another shot further back at 66.

The long-hitting Adams dropped his only shot of the round on No. 1 -- but he could have made much worse than a bogey. Standing with one foot in the sand, he knocked his second shot at the par-four hole into a tree branch, then put his third into a greenside bunker.

Adams blasted out to 20 feet and rolled in the putt to escape his first hole with a bogey.

"I don't know if there's anything such as a good bogey. But I'll gladly take that," he said. "Looking back on it, considering the lies I had in the rough and the bunker, I was glad to make five."

Adams recovered to make five birdies on the front nine, including two in a row after his opening bogey. He also made three consecutive birdies between the fifth and seventh holes.

Giving credit to his short game -- particularly his wedge play and his putting -- Adams made four more birdies on the back nine to take the early lead.

His advantage stood up as Kaye, tied for the lead after 17 holes, missed a three-foot par putt on the 18th hole in an afternoon group and ended a shot behind.

"I just putted well, that's the main thing," Adams said of taking the lead. "I hit some good shots but I just made the putts. That's the difference in anybody's round out here. Everybody hits it about the same, it's just who makes the putts."