BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Former British Open champion Cameron Smith and Jason Day, back Down Under for the first time in seven years, shot 4-under 67s Thursday and were two strokes off the lead midway through the first round of the Australian PGA at Royal Queensland.
Smith, the 2022 British Open champion at St. Andrews, 2015 U.S. PGA Championship winner Day and fellow Australian Marc Leishman were in a group behind first-round early leader Elvis Smylie, the son of former Australian tennis pro Liz Smylie, who shot 65, and Joel Girrbach of Switzerland (66).
Min Woo Lee, who won last year’s tournament at Royal Queensland, shot 68 and was three strokes off the lead. Lee, Day and Smith were in the same early group Thursday in the joint PGA Tour of Australasia and the inaugural European Tour event for the 2025 season.
The 22-year-old Smylie, who is from the nearby Gold Coast, said the tournament was like a “home game” for him.
“It’s only an hour’s drive,” Smylie said. “I’ve played a lot of golf here. I’m quite familiar with the course and every part of my game’s really good at the moment. I’m really comfortable with what I’m doing.”
The 37-year-old Day said enjoyed being in the featured group Thursday. He hasn’t played in his home country since the 2017 Australian Open and he has not played the Australian PGA since 2011.
“Obviously Cammy’s (Smith) is a big draw here. It’s nice to get out there and watch Min,” Day said. “It’s unbelievable how far that guy hits it. He seems like he’s got a lot of control. He just had just a couple of bad breaks and obviously some swings out there, but overall, he’s playing pretty solid.
“It’s always nervous to come back and try and defend,” Day added. “And then when you’re in the marquee group, there’s a lot of people watching and it’s always a little bit more nerve-wracking coming back as a defending champ.”
Day said Smith was feeling under the weather and Smith later confirmed the diagnosis.
“I think Tuesday out here in the rain and then Wednesday in the rain, a couple of big weeks and stuff, I think it just got to me a little bit,” Smith said. “Just a little bit of a head cold thing . . . I’ll be right, I’ll live.”
Lee (ranked No. 48) and Day (No. 31) are the only players from the top 50 in the world in the field. Smith is playing his third straight week in PGA Tour of Australasia tournaments — he closed with 74 last week to lose a two-shot lead at the New South Wales Open, finishing tied for second and three strokes behind winner and fellow LIV player Lucas Herbert.
Many of the same players will travel to Melbourne next week for the Australian Open, also on the European Tour, which is being played concurrently with the Women’s Australian Open at famed sandbelt courses Kingston Heath and Victoria.
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The Associated Press
