Roger Sloan had one bogey and 17 pars on his way to a one-over finish to start the PGA Tour season.

The Merritt golfer was at even par through the first nine, before bogeying his eleventh hole (the par 3 2nd) and then going even the rest of the round.

Despite finishing last season in 169th place, well short of the usual top 125 needed to retain a PGA Tour card, exceptions were made this season after the cancellation of a number of tournaments.

Sloan had a down year in 2020, after a stellar 2019 season that saw him finish in the top 100 with three top ten performances. However, last season’s Safeway Open was the Merritt golfer’s best finish of the year, finishing tied for thirteenth in the season-opening tournament.

He failed to make the three-week playoffs through this August and September, won by superstar Dustin Johnson.

Johnson is not in the field this week, though there are some big names up against Sloan, including Phil Mickelson, Jordan Speith, and Jason Dufner.

Scottish-born Russell Knox is the current leader in the clubhouse at nine-under.

He is currently even through six holes in his second round, having earned one bogey and one birdie.