Jason Day is knocking on the door of a major championship once again.
The 25-year-old Queenslander quietly positioned himself in a tie for fifth after the opening round of the PGA Championship, just two shots behind leaders Adam Scott and Jim Furyk.
Now in just his 13th major championship appearance, Day has already notched up three seconds a third and another top-10 finish in the biggest tournaments in golf.
He led the Masters earlier this year by two shots standing on the 16th tee on Sunday only to fade to third.
He led the US Open on the 11th tee on Sunday only to drop to second.
So while he was happy with his opening round, the one-time US Tour winner was keeping his head out of the clouds.
“It was solid,” Day said modestly.
“I hit a lot of greens which was nice but I think overall, just a little sloppy. In saying that, I’m happy with a 67.”
After a poor week at the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational, Day knuckled down to ensure he would once again be a major championship factor.
“I played pretty poorly last week, and I worked very hard to get my game up to scratch,” he said.
“It’s good to see that the hard work over the last week and a half is paying off.”
Day’s card showed four birdies and a lone bogey but he could have easily been much deeper had his putter been a little hotter.
Then again, as is often the case when he is at his best, he also scrambled like a genius at times including a chip in from deep rough and then a screaming deliberate hook shot from a cart path around trees to find the final green.
Fellow Aussie contender Fraser came into the tournament with little form to speak of since finishing second to Brett Rumford in South Korea on the European tour in late April.
The Victorian rebounded from two opening bogeys with five birdies and credited caddie Shannon Wallis for keeping him light-hearted and energised.
Wallace, a fellow Australian who was carrying Jarrod Lyle’s bag before his cancer diagnosis, is known as a bit of a joker.
He has been caddying for Robert Allenby of late but “loaned” to Fraser for the majors.
“I’ve been struggling a bit but everything sort of came together,” Fraser said.
“It was great to have Shannon on the bag, I’ve known him for about 20 years and he’s never in a bad mood.
“Every time you look at him, he’s always smiling no matter what happens so he helped me stay light and it was good fun.
“Hopefully I can go out there and do it again tomorrow.”