Palmer leads in Scottsdale

Texan Ryan Palmer holds a narrow lead after the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open after a strong start on Thursday.

Palmer's seven under par round of 64 saw him shoot 32 on both the front and back nine to put him one shot ahead of Webb Simpson in Scottsdale, Arizona.

That lead was thanks to a superb spell on his second nine when he produced three birdies in a row on the fourth, fifth and sixth holes to overhaul Simpson, finishing his round before play was suspended at around 8pm due to darkness with 42 competitors still to finish.

"Probably (during) about my last three or four holes you could tell (darkness) was getting closer and closer so I was trying not to worry about it," Palmer said.

"I knew I was going to be here in the morning for the second round, so I wasn't worried about if we had to come back and restart. So I didn't think about it and I just kept hitting shots and sticking to my game plan.

"The last putt was a little dark I can say, but I'm glad to be done, and now I can get going in tomorrow's routine. Instead of getting ready for one hole, I can get ready for the whole day. It's going to be a nice night."

Tied for third was an eight-strong group on five under featuring Bubba Watson - with three holes of his first round left to play.

Phil Mickelson and Justin Leonard were both three under while England's Ian Poulter was level par after 15.