The 52-year-old Austin rebounded from bogeys on Nos. 9 and 10 with birdies on 11, 12, 14 and 16. He has struggled after winning three times in four events this year on the PGA TOUR Champions.
"It seems, I forgot how to play after that," Austin said. "It's been really bad since. It's been unfortunately a long stretch of really ugliness."
Mark O'Meara was a stroke back along with Carlos Franco, Esteban Toledo, Joe Durant, Tom Byrum, Scott McCarron and Peter Fowler. Franco, from Paraguay, qualified on Monday.
