Australian Cameron Smith made two long eagle putts, delivered a scorecard on 65 shots, and took a one-shot lead over world number one Jon Rahm and two other players at the PGA Tour of States Tournament of Champions. United on Thursday.
Smith shook off a slow start to set the pace at the par 73 Plantation Course at Kapalua in Hawaii, but had little room to breathe in the elite event for last season’s winners.
Spaniard Rahm had seven birdies without a bogey on his board with 66 hits (-7) and joined FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay and fellow local Daniel Berger.
“I started off pretty terrible, to be honest,” said Smith, who bogey on part three of the second hole. He recovered with a birdie in the third, then drained a 44-foot eagle putt in the fifth and a birdie in the ninth.
Smith then overflowed on a four-hole stretch with birdies at 13, 14 and 16 interspersed with an eagle at 15, where he rolled on a 37-foot putt.
Rahm, whose 2021 season included a grand opening victory at the US Open and PGA Player of the Year honors, birdied the fifth par five and then hit the sixth and seventh, hitting a 24-foot putt.
Mexican Abraham Ancer, the only Latin American in the event, finished the day in 29th place with 72 strokes (-1).
– Thursday’s results after the first round of the US PGA Tour Champions tournament. (Pair-73):
1. Cameron Smith (AUS) 65
2. Jon Rahm (ESP) 66
. Daniel Berger (USA) 66
. Patrick Cantlay (USA) 66
5. Erik van Rooyen (RSA) 67
, Kevin Na, Im Sung-jae (KOR) 67
7. Garrick Higgo (RSA) 68
. Joel Dahmen (USA) 68
. Brooks Koepka (USA) 68
. Talor Gooch (USA) 68
. Collin Morikawa (USA) 68
…
29. Abrham Ancer (MEX) 72
bb-meh/hm
