Nightmare on front nine costly for Fox

Kiwis Ryan Fox and Danny Lee are well off the pace after the opening round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Fox, who was tied for sixth at two-under par halfway through his first round, faded badly to finish Friday (NZT) in a share of 80th after his four-over 75. Lee is tied for 95th a shot back. Demark’s Thorbjorn Olesen and American Kevin Kisner, who nailed a sweet 21 foot (6.4m) putt to birdie the 18th, share the lead after carding four-under rounds of 67.

Five Americans, including Brooks Koepka, are one shot back in a share of third, while American guns Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed are two of seven players at two-under after the first round of the final major of the year.

Fower’s two-under 69 ensured he became just the 16th player in the past ten years to shoot in the 60s after carding a triple bogey.

Jordan Spieth, who is attempting to become the sixth player in history to complete a career grand slam, is tied for 33rd after his one-over 72.

In just his third major, and first on American soil, 30-year-old Fox was on track to put together a promising opening round.

He started on the 10th and went blemish free down the back nine.

However, it all went horribly wrong from there.

Ranked 101st in the world, Fox’s nightmare on the front resulted in him dropping six shots.

He went bogey, bogey, par, bogey, double bogey through holes one-five.

Another bogey followed on the par-five seventh as Fox’s struggles - he missed a string of putts within 1.8m on the day – on the greens continued.

Lee, who also started his round on the par-four 10th, never found his groove.

Ranked 87th in the world, Lee’s round included six bogeys, a double bogey and three birdies.