The Australian shot a three-under 69 to sit alongside the likes of Bernhard Langer, Vijay Singh and Fred Couples in sixth position at Snoqualmie Ridge.
They are all in pursuit of leaders Woody Austin and Kevin Sutherland, who set the pace with a 6-under 66.
Sutherland birdied two of his final three holes to share the lead and finish one ahead of Canadian Stephen Ames.
Austin, 59, matched his lowest round of the season, which has hardly been a memorable one. He has yet to post a single top-10 finish.
"I've always said, the game's just about putting," Austin said. "I haven't played that great, but I've played decent lately, I just haven't made anything, and today I made a few."
He made seven birdies, to be precise, and only one bogey. It's left Austin in a prime position to vie for his first win on the PGA Tour Champions since 2018.
"That's what we're playing for. That's why I'm playing," Austin said. "Going through a horrendous year this year and just hoping that at the end of the year something would show up. Today was a good start."
Sutherland bogeyed his opening hole, the par-4 10th, but quickly erased that memory with a birdie at No.12 and an eagle at the par-5 15th hole. He made four more birdies, including at the par-4 seventh and the par-5 eighth, to climb the ranks.
Sutherland last won at the Cologuard Classic in February 2021.
Harrison Frazar and Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez are tied for fourth at 4-under 68. Jimenez is the tournament's defending champion.
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