(Sports Network) - Bob Heintz and Martin Laird both opened with rounds of seven-under-par 63 Thursday to share the lead after the opening round of the Wyndham Championship. Tim Clark posted a six-under 64. He was joined in a share of third place by Scott Sterling, Carl Pettersen and Garrett Willis.

The big story this week is players battling to get into the FedEx Cup playoffs as this is the final event before the playoffs start. The top 144 on the points list get in and the two leaders rank in the 160s on the points list right now.

Heintz started on the back nine and knocked his approach to tap-in range on the 10th. He followed that with a birdie on the par-three 12th.

The 38-year-old ran off three straight birdies from the 15th, but that run was stopped by a bogey on the par-four 18th.

Around the turn, Heintz moved back to minus-five with a birdie on the first. Birdies on the fifth and eighth gave him a share of the lead. This is the first time in his PGA Tour career that Heintz has held at least a share of the lead after the opening round.

"My round was well managed and I think that if you had to pinpoint something, it was distance control so when I was uncomfortable with a certain hole location, and there are going to be some of those on this course, I was able to just hit the ball in the middle of the green and then give myself an easy two-putt," said Heintz, who stands 167th on the FedEx Cup points list.

Laird, who stands 164th on the FedEx Cup points list, opened his round with a 20-foot birdie putt on the second. He came back three holes later with a birdie at the fifth at Sedgefield Country Club.

The Scotsman tapped in a birdie effort on the ninth and made it two in a row as he also birdie No. 10 from 10 feet out.

Laird jumped to six-under as he holed a shot from the left rough on the par- four 13th for eagle. He closed his round with an eight-foot birdie putt at the last.

"Obviously a very good round," Laird said. "It was one of those rounds that when I had to a hole six-, eight-, 10-footer for par I did."

This was also the first time Laird shared a lead after the opening round.

Steve Marino and Ken Duke, who are both in the top-51 on the FedEx Cup Points list, opened with rounds of five-under 65. They were joined in a share of seventh place by Scott McCarron, 139th on the FedEx list, and Bob Sowards, who is well outside the playoffs right now standing 219th on the points list.

There are 19 players tied for 11th place at four-under-par 66. Among those 19 are Davis Love III (150th), Jeff Maggert (162nd) and Billy Andrade (182nd), who are all need solid finishes to get into the playoffs.

Also at minus-four is defending champion Brandy Snedeker.

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