EXCITING DAY

Aussie shares PGA Championship lead, Scott close by

QUEENSLAND golfer Jason Day has put himself in a great position to win a second career major, sharing the lead after the first day of the US PGA Championship.

The Hills International graduate carded an impressive, bogey-free five-under-par 65 to take the early clubhouse lead and only American Brendon Todd – ranked 795th in the world a year ago – managed to match his effort out of the afternoon starters at TPC Harding Park in California.

The duo sit a shot ahead of nine players who carded opening 66s, including reigning champion Brooks Koepka.

Gold Coaster Adam Scott started brightly despite having not played a tour event in 150 days, carding a two-under 68 – the same score as Tiger Woods who also began encouragingly.

It was Day’s best ever opening round at the PGA Championship, including when he won it in 2015, with his previous best a three-under-par 67 in 2013 and 2018.

Day is coming off a string of four straight to-10 finishes since the US tour restarted.

“I feel like the momentum that I’ve had over the last three starts has kind of seeped into this week,” Day said.

“The funny thing is that every day I’m excited to go back to the golf course and play, whereas before I was struggling to get up and going.

“The game is slowly coming around, the confidence is coming around because I’m starting to see the results.”

Also in the pack a shot behind day was Martin Kaymer, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, Bud Cauley, Scottie Scheffler, Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Brendan Steele and Zach Johnson.

Todd, who already has three PGA tour wins, had four birdies on his front nine and added three more with no bogeys on the back nine for a 65.

Meanwhile Koepka, who is chasing history by trying to become the first three-peat US PGA major winner in almost a century, once again demonstrated his ability to raise his game on the biggest stages.

The American got on a roll at last week’s WGC-FedEx St. Jude event in Memphis and carried it over to this tournament.