Ernie Els gave himself a great 56th birthday present on Friday with a bogey-free six-under-par 66 to give him a share of the lead after the first round of the PGA Tour Champions’ Dominion Energy Charity Classic.

He started the celebrations early with four birdies on the front nine of the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, and he carried on with two more on the back nine. He shared the 18-hole lead with 2025 Chubb Classic winner Justin Leonard, as well as Steven Allan, who is a three-time winner on PGA Tour Champions this season.

This week’s tournament is the first of the three Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs events and features 69 of the top 72 available in the standings. The top 54 after this week advance to next week’s Simmons Bank Championship in Little Rock, Arkansas. Only the top 36 from the Simmons Bank Championship advance to the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix, Arizona  from November 13-16.

Els started the week in fourth place on the standings, and is currently projected to climb into second place. He won the Charles Schwab Cup last year.

World Golf Hall of Fame member Retief Goosen made five birdies on the day, but surrendered a bogey on his final hole of the day, the 18th, for a four-under 68. He was in a share of fourth.

Els owns four top-10 finishes in five previous starts at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, and is looking for his eighth win on the PGA Tour Champions.