Aussie Sensation Cameron Davis Falls Short of First-Round Lead at PGA Championship

A double-bogey on the closing hole marred what was otherwise a strong opening round for Cameron Davis at the PGA Championship held at Quail Hollow.

The 30-year-old from Sydney finished with a commendable score of 5-under 66, placing him two strokes behind Venezuelan golfer Jhonattan Vegas.

Starting his round on the 10th, Davis quickly made his mark with a birdie on the very first hole and turned in fantastic fashion, reaching 3-under through his first nine, having notched four birdies alongside a single bogey.

He added three more birdies and looked set for the outright lead but faltered slightly, leaving his approach on the par-4 ninth hole short and unable to recover, finishing with a 66.

This performance tied him for the clubhouse lead with 25-year-old Ryan Gerard, currently ranked World No. 81, who had been sitting comfortably at 7-under through 16 holes before dropping a couple of strokes on the final two holes.

This lead, however, was short-lived as Vegas, playing among the last groups on the course, surged ahead with two birdies in his final holes.

The champion of this major event stands to earn over $5 million in prize money.

Davis’ season has been a mix of promising performances and underwhelming results. He began the year with a strong finish at The Sentry in Hawaii, but followed up with two missed cuts.

He managed a top-5 finish at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am but then struggled in five consecutive events, including the Masters.

Though he made the cut in his past three tournaments, he wasn’t close to contention.

Davis shared that he had been diligently working on his game after a series of disappointing outings and was thrilled to witness the benefits of his efforts at a major tournament.

“I rolled plenty of putts that went in and maintained the momentum,” he remarked.

“For a major, particularly on a challenging course, if you can achieve that, it keeps the progress moving along.”

Though Davis aimed for a conservative approach, he impressively managed to sink 49m (161 feet) worth of putts.

New Zealander Ryan Fox, who secured his place in the tournament by triumphing at the Myrtle Beach Classic just a week prior, finished one stroke behind at 4-under.

Among the Australians, Adam Scott could have been in contention with the leaders as he reached 4-under through 15 holes but suffered back-to-back bogeys at 16 and 17 – the latter seeing him three-putt from 21m – to finish with a 2-under 69.

Min Woo Lee’s round resembled a wild ride; he recorded an eagle and four birdies but also faced seven bogeys and a double.

Lee, starting on the par-5 10th, almost managed an eagle with his first hole, but then faltered with consecutive bogeys on 11 and 12 while narrowly missing a par save with a chip shot on the 11th.

His eagle on the par-5 16th hole was a highlight of the day; his second shot was just off the green and about 6m from the pin, which he confidently made with his putt.

Unfortunately, his performance on the four par-3 holes was disappointing, achieving only one par, alongside two bogeys and a double bogey. The 17th hole, renowned as Quail Hollow’s signature challenge, hit Lee the hardest when his tee shot went into the water, forcing him to drop from the drop zone. Though he nearly holed his putt for bogey, he ultimately settled for a double.

He recorded four additional bogeys against two birdies on the back nine, finishing the round with a 3-over 74.

Jason Day began strong, chipping in for a birdie on the 11th – his second hole of the day – but only accumulated one more birdie to pair with four bogeys, ending the day at 2-over 73.

Cam Smith and Karl Vilips are likely to be missing out on the weekend, both finishing on 7-over 78.

The 2022 Open champion and LIV player Smith managed just one birdie – occurring on the par-5 10th – but recorded six bogeys and a double.

Vilips managed three birdies but struggled with six bogeys and two double bogeys.

Australia’s rookie, Elvis Smylie, ended the day at 1-under, despite also bogeying on his final hole.