Happy with ‘solid’ first round at Oak Hill

A MONTH away from golf has not halted Ryan Fox’s form after a superb start to the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York.

The Kiwi and world No 41 has a share of sixth after the opening round of the second golf major of the year with a 2underpar 68.

Unheralded American Eric Cole leads at 5under through 14 holes when play was suspended due to bad light.

The Aucklander came into the tournament following more than a month away from the game after withdrawing from the RBC Heritage tournament in April due to what turned into pneumonia. He then returned to New Zealand for the birth of his second child.

The last tournament he completed was the Masters at Augusta where he was 26th.

Yesterday he showed again the big events do not faze him.

‘‘It was probably a little surprising seeing as I didn’t have a lot of prep coming in and had four weeks off in the leadup to this with a few things on.

‘‘For the most part I played pretty solid. There was some pretty scruffy iron shots in there and my short game saved me. I rode a pretty hot putter today, which was nice,’’ Fox said after the round.

‘‘For most part when I was in trouble today, I was generally in trouble in the right place and managed to get myself up and down or out of trouble pretty nicely.’’

The start was delayed by almost two hours due to frost on the course. Fox did not receive notice of the delay until he was at the course as he was in one of the early groups off the first tee.

He started well with birdies at the par 4 second and the par fifth to get to 2under early. He dropped a shot at the par 3 sixth before his third birdie of the front nine at the ninth.

Fox shared the lead standing on the short par 4 14th tee but his drive went wide right. Facing what looked like a possible bogey with no view of the green, he chipped to the greenside and then putted off the edge of the green for birdie which gave him the outright lead.

The host broadcaster had to apologise after twice referring to him as an Australian.

Fox then almost holed his second shot from the fairway on the 16th which would have given him an eagle and a threeshot lead. The ball rolled around the pin before ending under a metre away. He missed and walked away with par, remaining at 3under and shortly joined by Canadian Corey Conners and Norwegian Viktor Hovland as coleaders.

Fox found the rough off the tee on the 17th and then a fairway bunker as he was unable to reach the par 4 green. He carded his second bogey which put him back to 2under and parred the last to sign for a 68.

Fellow Kiwi Steven Alker struggled with an opening round 10over 80. —