Three share first-round lead in Australian PGA

Adam Scott shot a 5-under 66 after a 6 a.m. tee time to trail by one stroke after the first round of the Australian PGA championship at Royal Queensland in Brisbane.

Three other Australians shot 65s in the afternoon groups — Min Woo Lee, Jason Scrivener and John Lyras — to share the first-round lead.

Brad Kennedy, Anthony Quayle and South Korean Jeunghun Wang matched Scott's 66 and were tied for fourth.

Scott was playing in the same early-morning group as British Open champion Cameron Smith, who was three strokes behind after a 68, and Ryan Fox, a close runner-up to Rory McIlroy on the European tour's order of merit this season, who had a 72.

The 35-year-old Fox is No. 27 in the world after ending last year at No. 213. The New Zealander won two European tour events and had four runner-up finishes in his resurgent season.

Strong approach play led to four tap-in birdies in five holes on either side of the turn and then, after back-to-back bogeys brought him back to the field, Scott's putting gave him two more birdies in the final three holes.

Back in Australia after a threeyear absence due to the coronavirus pandemic, world No. 3 Smith shrugged off an “uncomfortable” first nine with four birdies and stayed within touching distance of the lead.

• Dan Bradbury equaled the course record with an 8-under 63 despite a bogey on his last hole to hold the clubhouse lead in the first round of the Joburg Open in Johannesburg, South Africa, which was suspended overnight because of thunderstorms.

The Englishman started on the back nine and mixed seven birdies and two eagles with a double bogey on the 15th and his lone bogey on No. 9, which denied him the outright course record. He was one shot ahead of Nick Bachem of Germany, with Romain Langasque of France another stroke back.

Play was interrupted by the storms during the afternoon and then halted for the day with close to half the field yet to finish the round.