PARAMUS, N.J. — Bo Van Pelt began the FedEx Cup playoffs by going fishing for stripers, which is not unusual for a guy living in Oklahoma.

Except that he was casting his line into the East River.

Presumably it was a little farther out from Manhattan. And no, Van Pelt did not eat what he caught.

“It was fun,” he said. “A buddy of mine invited me, so I was like, `I’ve got to take you up on that.’ ... Maybe that was my good luck charm for the week.”

The real fishing trip began Thursday at Ridgewood Country Club, and Van Pelt snagged four birdies and an eagle, purely in the golfing sense. That was easy to digest because Van Pelt was in dire need of a good start at The Barclays.

Just over a month ago, he wasn’t sure he would be among the top 125 to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, and thus keep his card. His game began to turn around with a couple of good finishes, and he started at No. 104. Only the top 100 advance to next week.

Van Pelt opened with three straight birdies, followed with 12 straight pars, and then went birdie-eagle-par for a 6-under 65 and a one-shot lead.

“As poorly as I played at the start of the year, I’m just kind of glad to be here,” Van Pelt said. “Things have been trending in a lot better direction. So I felt fortunate to be here.”