Fraser’s 63 part of big day for golf

RIO DE JANEIRO — On a day of firsts for Olympic golf, Marcus Fraser of Australia had the one that mattered — the first-round lead.

Fraser ran off four straight birdies before the wind arrived and kept right on going until he had an 8-under 63, giving him a three-shot lead over Henrik Stenson of Sweden and Graham DeLaet of Canada.

There was plenty for golf to celebrate as it returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1904. No one was quite sure what to expect from the gallery on the first day, in a country with very little golf heritage and with no medals awarded until Sunday. But more than 6,000 spread out across Olympic Golf Course, holding flags along the fairway ropes and sending cheers from all corners.

The biggest surprise came from the Americans, with only Matt Kuchar (69) breaking par. Patrick Reed of Spring shot a 72 and Bubba Watson a 73. Rickie Fowler shot a 75, beating only two players — Rodolfo Cazaubon of Mexico and Lin WenTang of Taiwan.