Lawrence resident and former Kansas University golfer Chris Thompson shot an 11-under par 60 Thursday in the first round of the Cox Classic, a Nationwide Tour event played at Champions Run in Omaha, Neb.

Thompson, who carded two eagles, seven birdies and nine pars, takes a one-stroke lead over Scott Sterling into today’s second round.

Thompson played the back nine first and then fired a 29 on the front nine holes. He drove the green on No. 9, a par 4, and then made a 30-foot putt to secure the 60.

Thompson said lengthening his belly putter by an inch played a big part in his having a hot day on the greens.

“The last few weeks I noticed the putter kept slipping out of my bellybutton, so I assumed it wasn’t long enough,” Thompson said. “It sticks in the bellybutton now, and I putted great today.”

Ryan Vermeer, a former college teammate who plays mini-tour golf now, played a round with Thompson earlier in the week at Oak Hills Country Club in Omaha and suggested subtle changes in Thompson’s setup and ball position. Thompson said the tips helped him to drive the ball better Thursday than he had been in recent weeks.

A rookie on the Nationwide Tour after seven years playing mini-tours, Thompson entered the tournament ranked 116th in earnings with $26,691. He ranked tied for 86th with an average driving distance of 302.5 yards and was 16th with a longest drive of 371 yards.

The purse for winning the Cox Classic is $117,000. The top 25 players on the Nationwide Tour earn a PGA Tour card for the next season, and the top 60 are guaranteed another year in the Nationwide Tour. At the moment, James Driscoll holds the 25th spot with $108,775 in earnings.

Reached Thursday night by cell phone when he was on his way to pick up his wife, Jessica, at the airport in Omaha, Thompson said 61 had been the best round of his life until Thursday.

“If I play great this weekend and stumble into a victory, I’ll be in great shape to get my PGA Tour card,” Thompson said.

The Golf Channel broadcasts every day of the tournament. Today’s action is televised from 1:30-3 p.m. (CDT). Thompson tees off at 8:05 a.m.

Saturday’s and Sunday’s coverage is from noon to 3 p.m.

Thompson has played in all 19 Nationwide Tour events this season and is trying make the cut for the ninth time. That sluggish play led Thompson’s father, David of Independence, to open his telephone conversation with his son Thursday night with a two-word question: “What happened?”

David Thompson is spending the weekend in Lawrence, with his son’s in-laws, John and Susan Wachter.

“I went to see him play last week, and I’m going next week,” David said. “I have some things to take care of in Lawrence and wasn’t planning to see him play this weekend. If he’s still in contention Sunday, I might have to drive up there.”

Thompson’s 60 tied the lowest opening round in Nationwide Tour history, but did not set a course record. Jason Gore shot a second-round 59 two years ago on his way to three consecutive victories.

Last year, Nationwide Tour players averaged the third-lowest scores of any event on the course that Thompson devoured. Champions Run is a 7,145-yard layout. Johnson Wagner won the event last year with a 21-under-par 263. In Thursday’s opening round, 109 of the 156 golfers shot under par.