UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio — Vijay Singh rebounded from a bad shot on the 17th to birdie the final hole Thursday and take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the U.S. Senior Open.

Still playing full-time on the PGA Tour at age 53, the big Fijian shot a 4-under 66 on a hot and humid afternoon at Scioto Country Club, the suburban Columbus course where Jack Nicklaus learned to play.

Singh pushed his tee shot right and bogeyed the par-3 17th. On the par-4 18th, he hit his second shot to 4 feet. The three-time major champion hit 13 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens.

“I’m driving the ball well,” said Singh, coming off a tie for 56th on Sunday in Connecticut in the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship. “I’m hitting my irons good. Playing the regular tour, I’ve been playing pretty decent out there too. I came here (and) obviously expected to play well, and I just played well today.”

Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jeff Gallagher, Michael Allen, Gene Sauers and Glen Day shot 68.

“The weather is good. It’s perfect. It’s hot, humid,” Jimenez said. “This heat is going to drain a lot from you and probably (make things) more difficult, not because the course is more difficult, but the situation for the players that will be there at the end of the weekend.”

Singh is winless in nine career starts on the 50-and-over tour.