It was Aberg’s best first-round score of his career, ahead of Americans Danny Walker and Hayden Springer, who both shot 65.
Australian Jason Day had a disappointing round, finishing 2 for 74 and tied for 117th.
Aberg took advantage of the opportunity by playing the easier North Course at Torrey Pines, hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation while making eight birdies and an eagle on the coastal links.
“I like it when you hit a lot of drivers and I feel like I did that a lot today and I’ll probably do the same tomorrow,” said the 25-year-old Swede.
“(I love) any golf course when it looks like that, when you have views, and Torrey Pines is a really, really nice place.”
Walker, 25, performed brilliantly in his fourth career start on the PGA Tour. He had his best opening day round on the more challenging South Course.
Walker and Springer finished one shot ahead of Lanto Griffin, Zak Blair, 48-year-old Zach Johnson and 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter – who all played on the North Course.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, the highest-ranked player in the field and winner of The Sentry tournament in Kapalua, shot a 68 on the South Course.
Aberg, who finished ninth in his Torrey Pines debut last year, started the new season fifth in Maui after knee surgery last fall.
After winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2023, he had no wins last year despite six top-five finishes, including runner-up finishes at the Masters, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and BMW Championship.
While many of the top players won’t be at Torrey Pines this week, Aberg was looking forward to hitting the beautiful seaside golf course, calling San Diego “my favorite place in the world” earlier this week.
He also ventured to say that his recovery from surgery is going well.
“I haven’t had any problems since the surgery, so it’s really nice,” he said.
“I think Maui was the ultimate test of that. I got blisters on my feet. That’s another story, but the knee held up well. I’m really looking forward to coming back and playing in many tournaments.
“I’m looking forward to a nice stretch of golf.”
Walker, a rookie who earned his PGA Tour card on the Korn Ferry Tour, had a bogey-free round after missing his first two runs of the season.
Defending champion Matthieu Pavon shot 73 on the South Course.
This famous tournament on San Diego’s North Shore features fewer stars than usual this year.
World No. 2 and San Diego native Xander Schauffele did not participate, while fifth-ranked Southern California native Collin Morikawa withdrew on Sunday, followed by former Torrey Pines runner-up Will Zalatoris on Wednesday morning.
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