BALTIMORE (AP) — Jamie Bestwick won the BMX Vert event Friday in the AST Dew Tour's Panasonic Open, using a flawless first run to easily top the competition.

The 36-year-old English rider sealed his victory with an alley-oop in his first run, which earned him a 96.00 score. Chad Kagy of Gilroy, Calif., was second at 93.17, and England's Simon Tabron finished third at 92.00.

"I tried to stay smooth and high on my first run, and I hit them all perfectly," Bestwick said. "I didn't know my first run would turn out like that. That was amazing.

"It's good for me to take the early lead right now, but the race for the Cup is just getting started. It's not over yet."

Bestwick, the three-time defending Dew Cup champion, has won 12 of 16 events in the four-year history of the tour.

The four-day competition is the first of five stops of the AST Dew Tour — including Salt Lake City — that features skateboarding, BMX and freestyle motocross. Saturday's action features Skateboard Park and Skateboard Vert finals, while the Sunday schedule includes the Freestyle Motocross and BMX Park finals.