Backstrom, David Carter, Fredrik Henge and Roope Kakko each had 7-under-par 65s and are one stroke ahead of Darren Fichardt. Another 10 golfers are at 5-under.

Backstrom started Thursday on the back nine and was 2-under when he reached the 561-yard 15th hole. His drive left him 233 yards from the pin and his 4-iron from there ended up in the hole.

"It was slightly into the breeze from the right so I thought that a hard 4-iron would do it," Backstrom said. "I hit it well and it pitched on the green and then disappeared but because there were few people sitting around the green and they didn't really react.

"They gave me a clap but not the kind of reaction that you would expect … so I wasn't sure what happened. But when I walked up to the green it was there in the hole."

Backstrom ended the round with six birdies, two bogeys and the double eagle for his 65. Carter and Henge each had seven birdies while Kakko fired 10 birdies but also had three bogeys.