Cam Davis shares opening round lead at Quail Hollow
Cam Davis in action today – image courtesy of PGA of America
Sydney’s Cam Davis, now a resident of Seattle in the US, has a share of the opening round lead late on day one of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, his round of 5 under 66 leaving him tied with Ryan Gerard and one clear of a group of five players, including New Zealand’s Ryan Fox.
Playing in the afternoon field, Davis, whose best finish in a major championship came in this event when 4th in 2023, produced seven birdies and two bogeys including one at his final hole and while the score is not his best in a PGA Championship (that came with a final round of 65 in 2023), it was an encouraging effort especially given his most recent form has been below his best.
Davis missed five consecutive cuts through March and April and, while not getting ahead of himself, he is delighted with the manner in which he handled the opening day.
“Really good,” said Davis when asked to describe his thoughts on the round. “I haven’t been having the best results on the course lately over the last few months and been working really hard to turn that around, and to see the first real sign that it’s turning around happen in the first round of a major, it’s very encouraging.
“I actually played really well at the beginning of the year and felt like I was playing well enough to actually win an event. I was constantly in contention, and then it just kind of left me.
“It’s just constantly trying to go back to things that have worked, trying to keep the head in a place where you’re not feeling like you’re banging your head against the wall all the time. It’s letting it organically come, good processes, good routines, all those little one percenters add up to good golf eventually, and I feel like this week has been a week of good preparation.
“But yeah, rolled a lot of putts that went in and kept the momentum going, and I feel like for a major, when you’re playing a difficult golf course, if you can do that, you can keep things moving forward.
“Very happy with my work today. But it’s still a four-round event. But you can definitely help yourself a lot by having a good first round.”
The two-time PGA Tour winner and former Australian Open and Australian Amateur Champion continues to build platforms for himself in the US, and while this effort today is a reversal of his form of late, he is capable of big things in the game.
Adam Scott moved to 4 under par and was bogey-free through 15 holes before bogeys at the 16th and 17th holes proved costly, but at 2 under and just three off the lead, he is well enough placed, especially with a morning tee time on day two. Playing in his 25th PGA Championship, Scott is one of the event’s most experienced participants, and his solid start is encouraging for what lies ahead.
Australian PGA Champion and PGA Championship debutant, Elvis Smylie, produced an impressive start with a round of 70 to be in a share of 30th place.
Of the other Australians in the field, Jason Day has 2 over 73, Min Woo Lee 74, Cam Smith 77, and Karl Vilips 77.
The cut appears as if it will fall at 2 over 3 over tomorrow.
