With cold, Day starts hot

Maybe Jason Day was playing possum Wednesday when he said, “I’m not coming into this week expecting a lot.”

His first round made him look primed for a huge weekend. The world’s No. 1 player, who was limited in his practice time entering the tournament because of a cold passed on by his children, was one of the few big names to perform well in the PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club Thursday. He shot a strong 2-under 68, leaving him just three shots behind unlikely leader Jimmy Walker.

Day, off to his best start in a major this year by a wide margin, actually felt fresh instead of rusty, after not playing Monday or Tuesday and taking a full practice round Wednesday. Day also was at the hospital into the early hours Wednesday when his wife, Ellie, had an allergic reaction following the PGA Championship Champions dinner.

“I’m pretty pleased, to be honest,” the defending PGA champ said. “By Thursday, if you practice Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, you could be pretty tired with how hot it was. It was in the mid-to-high 90s. You can get pretty drained pretty quickly.”

Day doesn’t regret having his family with him, even if it does mean he’s a little bit under the weather.

“It’s speed bumps that you have got to try and slow down and get around,” Day said.

It was a promising first day for the local golf pros. Rob Labritz, the 45year-old director of golf at Glen-Arbor Golf Club in Bedford, shot a 1-over 71 — the best score by any of the 20 club pros in the tournament — and Matt Dobyns, the head pro at Fresh Meadow on Long Island, was right behind him with a 3-over 73. Dobyns, who has conditional status on the PGA Tour and has played in six events, has never made the cut at a major.

Ben Polland, who is working under Darrell Kestner at Deepdale on Long Island, matched Dobyns with a 3-over 73.