Day right in the mix

AN emotional Jason Day and Rickie Fowler are among the golf stars who put themselves in the mix while playing with heavy hearts on day one at the US PGA Championships in Missouri.

As golf mourned the loss of Australian former US PGA Tour player Jarrod Lyle, who died this week after a third battle with cancer, Fowler fired a five-underpar 65 at Bellerive Country Club to take the clubhouse lead. Sporting a yellow shirt in support of close mate Lyle, American world No.9 Fowler mixed six birdies with a bogey.

“I was scripted to wear a dark blue shirt, so luckily I had a version of yellowish and I’m happy I could support Jarrod,” Fowler said. “It was tough news yesterday and it’s been a tough few weeks. I was lucky enough to be able to talk to him last Friday. One thing that helped was hearing how he felt.”

Day, the 2015 PGA Champion, choked back tears while talking to reporters after firing a 67 that left him sharing second at three under, two shots behind Fowler.

“He’s a buddy, but he’s not there anymore and he’s never going to come back,” said Day, who used to live close to Lyle in Orlando, Florida.

“That’s the hardest thing ... now, I’m tearing up.

“It’s heartbreaking. I’ve known Jarrod for a long time and my thoughts and prayers go out to [Lyle’s wife] Briony and the two kids.”

In a near-perfect ball-striking display, former world No.1 Day missed only one green in regulation while finding 12 of 14 fairways.

But an uncharacteristically poor display on the greens from the US PGA Tour’s No.1-ranked putter prevented an exceptional round. The Queenslander smashed a 255m second shot into the par-5 17th (his eighth hole) but three-putted for a par.

The 12-time US PGA Tour winner has only bettered yesterday’s driving display once, during the 2006 Barracuda Championship.

Adam Scott was at one-under and Australian club pro Craig Hocknull finished at two-over with a 72, while bigger-name countryman Cameron Smith struggled during a 74.