ANCASTER, Ontario — Jim Furyk and Justin Rose figured they would like the Hamilton Golf and Country Club course after listening to their peers rave about the 90-year-old gem on the rim of the Niagara Escarpment.

They were right. And the traditional layout even appeared to be built for their precision games Thursday in the first round of the Canadian Open.

Taking advantage of perfect scoring conditions, Furyk and Rose shot the lowest rounds in professional play on the course, 7-under 63s that left them a stroke ahead of Brandt Jobe, Nathan Green and Frank Lickliter II on the rain-softened layout.

"It's as beautiful and as great a golf course as what I expected it to be," Rose said. "It's playing really well considering all the rain. ... I like the look of every hole out there. It's a fun course to play."

Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open champion at historic Olympia Fields, won the Wachovia Championship in May at old-school Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C., for his 11th tour title. He also won the 2003 Buick Open on another traditional course — tree-lined Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc, Mich.

"I grew up in Pennsylvania on courses built in the early 1900s — old, traditional courses. This has that feel," said Furyk, making his first appearance in the tournament since 1999. "I tend to play the golf courses that fit that bill. And this is definitely that style. It's a very good one. I heard coming up here how good the course was and I think it definitely met expectations."

With the ground still soggy from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto, Furyk and the other morning starters began play in calm, cool conditions. The temperature climbed into the low 70s in the afternoon, but there was no more than a gentle breeze.

"I shot a low number, but I was obviously aided by the weather and the conditions," said Furyk, two weeks away from his fifth straight U.S. Ryder Cup appearance.

"We were fortunate that it was soft, but when the golf course gets firm and fast it tends to spread the field out a lot more. It rewards good shots and hinders bad shots. Whereas, when it's soft, you can kind of get away with some stuff."

Furyk, second on the PGA Tour money list and No. 3 in the world rankings, holed a 9-iron shot from 120 yards for eagle on the 379-yard 12th hole — his third hole of the day — and added five birdies in his bogey-free round.

"Weren't any mistakes out there," Furyk said. "I kept the ball in the fairway most of the day and hit quite a few greens."

Rose, coming off a fourth-place tie Monday in the Deutsche Bank Championship, had six birdies and a bogey in a front-nine 30.