(Reuters) – Major winners Cameron Smith and Jason Day went stroke-for-stroke for a share of the early clubhouse lead on four-under-par after matching 67s in the opening round of Australian PGA Championship on Thursday.
Smith and Day played with defending champion Min Woo Lee in an Australian super grouping as they made an early start in cloudy conditions at the Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane.
Lee had the best of the early play with four birdies in his first six holes but former world number one Day, playing on home soil for the first time in seven years, was soon hot on his heels as they approached the turn.
Former British Open champion Smith, desperate to make up for missing the cut in his home city last year, was level par at the turn but three birdies in four holes at the start of his back nine brought him level with his playing partners.
Back-to-back bogeys in the back nine dragged Lee down the leaderboard into the chasing pack but he, Smith and Day all picked up shots at their 16th hole to move back into a share of the lead at four-under.
Lee immediately gave back his shot on his penultimate hole to drop down to three-under and a par at the last left him to sign for a round of 68.
Local youngster Elvis Smylie later stormed home with three birdies in his last four holes for a 65 to take the outright clubhouse lead on six-under.
After heavy rain over the last few days, the wet weather largely stayed away early on Thursday morning but a stiffening wind and showers might make for tricky conditions for the late starters in the opening round.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
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