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The American was the only one of the three
joint leaders to go out early, with Jordan Spieth and Brooks
Koepka, who also shot five-under par on Thursday, due out in the
afternoon.
Most of the early starters found conditions difficult, with
swirling winds and cold conditions.
Kuchar dropped a shot at the second but then picked up his game
spectacularly, with a chip in for a birdie at the third, when he
seemed in danger of dropping another shot, and following up with
another birdie at the par-three fourth, to grab the outright
lead.
With the wind expected to pick up throughout the day, a good
start was vital and Kuchar's early draw could prove a real
advantage.
Elsewhere, Paul Casey sported special shoes to mark his 40th
birthday but had little to celebrate after dropping two shots in
the first three holes.
The Englishman started the day just one shot off the joint
leaders after his first-round 66, but soon found trouble on the
second hole, with a wild drive and poor second shot into the
bunker.
After missing his par, Casey went on to drop another shot at the
next hole when he skirted a short putt past the hole.
It was enough to forget any thoughts of a happy birthday,
despite the fetching blue-and-white shoes which had PC and 40
stitched into their back.
Masters champion Sergio Garcia had trouble of a different sort,
appearing to strain his wrist chipping in off the green and
asking for a physio to meet him on the course.
(Reporting by Neil Robinson; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
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