Aussie gun Cam Davis grabs share of second place at PGA Championship

Cam Davis has conjured some magic to spearhead a promising first-round Australian assault at the PGA Championship in North Carolina.

Davis sparkled with a five-under-par 66 to snare a share of the clubhouse lead before having to play second fiddle to veteran Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas at men’s golf’s second major of the year.

Vegas birdied five of his last six holes, including the last three, to set the pace with a sizzling seven-under-par 64, his lowest-ever round at a major championship.

Davis shares second, two shots back with unheralded American Ryan Gerard, after opening with his own birdie-filled round of 66.

As Rory McIlroy quickly found himself on the back foot in his quest to follow up his historic Augusta National triumph with a fifth victory at Quail Hollow, Vegas vaulted 10 shots clear of the Masters champion with the round of his life.

But Davis is hot on the leader’s heels.

The unsung 30-year-old had hold of solo top spot until stumbling late with a bogey at the treacherous par-5 ninth, his last hole of the round after starting on the 10th.

After reaching six under with a brilliant, curling 22-foot downhill birdie putt on the sixth, Davis also failed to birdie the par-5 seventh or the relatively easy short par-4 eighth.

But after missing five straight cuts this year, including the Masters, the former Australian Open champion was thrilled to be back in the mix at a major after tying for fourth at the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club.

Two back of Vegas, Davis and Gerard are one shot ahead of in-form Kiwi Ryan Fox, former world No.1 Luke Donald, fellow Englishman Aaron Rai, German Stephan Jaeger and Alex Smalley, the last player to gain entry following the late withdrawal of his US compatriot Sahith Theegala.

Veteran Adam Scott is the next-best-placed Australian at two under, with Elvis Smylie one stroke further back in red figures following an excellent start to his US major championship debut.

After achieving his career slam of winning all four majors, McIlroy provided an anti-climactic opening in Charlotte, struggling to a three-over 74 among the early wave of morning starters.

The early Australian contingent also didn’t have a great morning with 2015 PGA champ Jason Day ending up with a two-over 73, Min Woo Lee a 74 and Karl Vilips a poor 78.

McIlroy’s playing partners in the first-round super group, defending champ Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler, also made hard work of it after starting from the 10th tee.

All three remarkably suffered double bogeys on the 16th, where the two American luminaries both found the water.

World No.1 Scheffler, though, battled back to finish handily placed at two under while defending champ Schauffele had a one-over 72.

The 47-year-old Donald showed them the way with a splendid bogey-free 67 while there was delight too for Fox, son of former All Blacks’ World Cup winner Grant Fox, who capitalised in grand fashion after securing his place in the field last Sunday by winning his first PGA Tour title at Myrtle Beach.

Gerard, who played collegiate golf for North Carolina, was left a mite frustrated when he dropped shots at his last two holes after recording four straight birdies and an eagle in his first six holes after the turn.

With agencies