IRVING, TEXAS ? Jeff Sluman was so desperate for some help with his putting he took a lesson by phone. Now he’s back on the top of the leaderboard. Sluman shot a bogey-free 7-under 63 Thursday, including birdies on his last three holes, and held the first-round lead at the $5.6 million Byron Nelson Championship.

Billy Andrade, whose only bogey came on his final hole, was at 64 along with Jim Furyk and Kevin Sutherland. Vijay Singh and 1996 Nelson champ Phil Mickelson were among 11 players at 65.

Sluman, 45, wasn’t having a bad season. He made 11 of 13 cuts, finishing 10th and 11th in the last two tournaments.

“I have played well all year for the most part, but I haven’t made the putts that you need to make to keep rounds going or to get that one really low round in there,” Sluman said.

So right before New Orleans two weeks ago, Sluman called part-time player and teacher Stan Utley.

“He hasn’t seen my stroke on site yet,” Sluman said. “What he told me, it kicked in a little at New Orleans and the stroke certainly feels more solid. I have to think what he told me is working right now.”

Sluman played the 6,846-yard Cottonwood Valley course, supposedly made harder by the addition of 124 trees, new bunkers and more penalizing rough. But, as has been normal at the Nelson, the scores were still lower there than across the street at the par-70, 7,022-yard TPC at Las Colinas.

Of the 33 players who shot 66 or better Thursday, 23 played Cottonwood Valley. It is the seventh time in nine years the first-round leader played Cottonwood.

Furyk’s 64 came on the TPC course, as did the 65s by Singh and Briny Baird.