Hughes finished with five birdies over his final six holes, including each of the last four on Thursday at Dunes Golf and Beach Club.
The 34-year-old credited his team for getting him on a new putting method where he isn't overthinking his shots.
"Honestly I kind of just made the decision coming here driving down from Charlotte on Monday," he said.
"My caddie and my mental game guy, we just kind of said, 'Hey, look, we're going to free it up.' It's kind of mentally freed me up too. Yeah, it was nice to see it pay off right away."
Hughes played with Irishman Seamus Power, who along with American Will Chandler and Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen are tied one stroke behind at seven-under 64.
Power turned in a bogey-free round, highlighted by an eagle 2 at No.8. From 162 yards out, he landed his approach on the green and watched it make a beeline for the hole.
"It was a funny one. It was right between clubs," Power said.
"With the greens being firm and that pin once you got past it, it's just not going to stop. I just tried to lean on a 9-iron and came out perfectly. It landed right where I wanted it, and obviously it was very lucky to go in."
Hughes has won a pair of fall events on the PGA Tour in 2016 and 2022, while Power is also hunting for his third title after wins at the 2021 Barbasol Championship and the 2022 Bermuda Championship.
Tied for fifth at six-under 65 were Andrew Putnam, New Zealand's Ryan Fox, Argentina's Alejandro Tosti and Cristobal Del Solar of Chile.
Defending champion Chris Gotterup opened with a four-under 67, while the only Australian in the field Aaron Baddeley had a one-over 72.
The winner of the event — held opposite a signature event at the Truist Championship this week — gets a spot in the PGA Championship if not already eligible.
With AAP.
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