Australia’s affable Greg Chalmers is competing in this 345th PGA Tour start at this week’s Valspar Championship at Tampa Bay in Florida.

In that time the left-hander has held the first round lead in a tournament once before and that was at the 2009 US Bank Championship in Milwaukee where he eventually finished T15th.

And the golfer nick-named The Snake made it two first round leads with his opening three under par 68 that sees him sharing the lead with Korean-born Kiwi Danny Lee and the American duo of Matt Every and Pat Perez on the appropriately named Copperhead course.

Greg Chalmers enjoying a share of the lead for only the second time in 345 PGA Tour starts. (Photo – www.pgatour.com)

The Sydney-born Chalmers is making his ninth appearance in the Valspar Championship with his best finish on the Copperhead course being T4th a year ago.

Chalmers, who has finished joint runner-up on the PGA Tour on two prior occasions, is naturally delighted with his opening round start.

“I’m thrilled,” he said.

“I had two chip-ins on my back nine but then only hit a couple of greens in regulation.

“It wasn’t that I was playing terrible, just missing green and I had easy up-and-downs and got that done.

“But you take 3-under par here, and with the guys out this morning getting the worst of the conditions because it was really unpleasant and cold this morning from what I hear.

“So I am surprised some more guys didn’t shoot lower scores this afternoon but then the course is tough.”

And while Chalmers is looking to win at his 345th PGA Tour start this week the 30-year old is no stranger to winning having captured  back-to-back victories in the 2011 Australian Open at The Lakes in Sydney where Tiger Woods was in the field, and the 2011 Australian PGA Championship.

Chalmers also capture d the 1997 ANZ Players Championship and the 1998 Australian Open in Adelaide where Nick Faldo was in the field.