Rising star outshines Australia's biggest names

2 years ago 95

Adam Scott changeable a 5-under 66 connected Thursday aft a 6am tee clip to way by 1 changeable aft the archetypal circular of the Australian PGA Championship astatine Royal Queensland.

Three different Australians changeable 65s successful the day groups — Min Woo Lee, Jason Scrivener and John Lyras — to stock the first-round lead.

The 24-year-old Lee is considered 1 of Australia's rising stars and is the member to women's champion Minjee Lee.

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

Watch each the enactment from the 2022 Australian PGA Championship connected Nine and 9NOW.

Scott was playing successful the aforesaid early-morning radical arsenic British Open champion Cameron Smith, who was 3 strokes down aft a 68, and Ryan Fox, a adjacent runner-up to Rory McIlroy connected the European tour's bid of merit this season, who had a 72.

The 35-year-old Fox is No.27 successful the satellite aft ending past twelvemonth astatine No.213. The New Zealander won 2 European circuit events and had 4 runner-up finishes successful his resurgent season.

Scott had an aboriginal task for "new" caddie Steve Williams, who has travel retired of status to transportation the container for the 2013 Masters champion. When helium woke up for the ultra-early tee time, Scott couldn't find his play bag.

Eventually recovered from his manager's edifice room, the brace were welcomed by hundreds of aboriginal risers connected the 10th tee.

"It was panic stations... Steve was kicking doors down," Scott laughed of his early-morning hunt for his clubs.

Strong attack play led to 4 tap-in birdies successful 5 holes connected either broadside of the crook and then, aft back-to-back bogeys brought him backmost to the field, Scott's putting gave him 2 much birdies successful the last 3 holes.

Scott sought section proposal connected however to navigate Royal Queensland's dramatically undulating greens that diagnostic crisp run-offs. His determination to putt aggregate times from disconnected the greenish paid off.

"The conditions couldn't beryllium amended and you privation to instrumentality vantage of that," helium said. "I'm precise pleased with that, each truly coagulated stuff."

Scott said Williams, who caddied for the Australian erstwhile helium won the Masters 9 years ago, was keen connected his tourney return.

"Yeah, it was great, helium evidently hasn't been retired astatine immoderate events for rather a agelong time, truthful I deliberation helium was beauteous excited," Scott said.

"We came retired and played Tuesday morning, it's rather easy. I whitethorn person changed, but I cognize he's not and truthful I knew what to expect erstwhile we came retired and to autumn backmost into acquainted routines was beauteous good."

Australian PGA Championship Round 1

Back successful Australia aft a three-year lack owed to the coronavirus pandemic, satellite No.3 Smith shrugged disconnected an "uncomfortable" archetypal 9 with 4 birdies and stayed wrong touching region of the lead.

"Scotty was playing truly nicely, he's coming into immoderate signifier the aged fella and mightiness beryllium hard to pursuit down," Smith said.

"Yeah, I'd similar it (a final-round match-up), haven't done that yet with Scotty, it'd beryllium epic."

Nicolai Hojgaard changeable 68 portion his 21-year-old identical duplicate Rasmus Hojgaard had a 69. The Belgian siblings made European circuit past past twelvemonth by winning back-to-back tournaments.

Smith is among six players who person competed successful Saudi-funded LIV Golf events this year. Others see Marc Leishman (69 Thursday), Wade Ormsby (72) and defending champion Jed Morgan (70).

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