Masters champion Adam Scott has started the US PGA Championship on fire, rocketing to a share of the lead late in the opening round at Oak Hill Country Club where inclement weather has suspended play.
Scott shot an opening nine 30 to be five-under par through 10 holes, tied for the lead with American Jim Furyk who shot a 65 earlier in the morning.
Scott opened with a nervous swing off the first tee and ended up way right in tree trouble but punched out and made an excellent par save.
Another par on the second followed before he went on a birdie blitz, rattling off five in a row to storm to the top of the leaderboard.
The Queenslander’s ball striking has been first class and his broomstick putter is backing up his close approaches but his momentum was halted after 10 holes when players were called in as thunderstorms approached the area.
Scott is still a chance to match or better the Oak Hill course record of six-under 64.
Victorian Marcus Fraser bounced back from a terrible start to fire a fighting three-under 67 to be just two behind.
Canadian David Hearn sits one off the clubhouse lead after a 66, joined at four under by Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez (12 holes).
World No.1 Tiger Woods struggled to a 71 to be six shots off the early pace in his quest for a 15th major championship.
Fraser, who had struggled of late with form, appeared to be heading for another early exit in a major after opening with back-to-back bogeys.
But the two-time European Tour winner dug deep and rattled off three birdies in his next five holes to get under par and off and running.
A run of pars was then broken up by birdies on 13 and 14, catapulting the Victorian up the leaderboard.
He went close to making birdies on 15, 16 and from off the map on 17 but settled for pars and then scrambled with a 30 foot downhill par save on the last to post his 67.
“It was a good fightback,” Fraser said.
“A bogey, bogey start was pretty standard for the way things are going the last few months but I went out there and just gave it everything I’ve got.
“I’ve been struggling a bit, but everything sort of came together.”
Jason Day is also right in the mix at two-under through 13 holes.
Playing the backside of the course first Woods was two under on his first 12 holes but made bogey on the par five fourth, his 13th and a double bogey on his final hole.
Brett Rumford is one-under through 10 while Geoff Ogilvy is four-over through the same amount of holes.
Marc Leishman got through his opening round without wife Audrey going into early labour, shooting a one-over 71.
Matt Jones gave away three shots in his final two holes to back up to 72, the same score John Senden carded to round out the morning Australians.
