Cam Davis has made a lighting hot start to the Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a seven-under par opening round of 65 putting the Australian in a share of the lead at the iconic PGA Tour event alongside American Jake Knapp and Englishman Justin Rose.
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As all the attention was on Rory McIlroy for his slam dunk hole-in-one at Spyglass Hill, the secondary course for the opening two rounds, Davis quietly went about his business at Pebble Beach itself to place himself firmly in contention.
The 29-year-old, who has won twice on the PGA Tour previously, carded six birdies and an eagle as he got on a roll either side of the turn.
Three birdies in five holes to close out the back nine, his first nine, was followed by a burst of three birdies and an eagle in six holes where his short game was in superb nick.
Davis was ranked fourth in the field for strokes gained around the green, while he made 73 feet worth of putts as he seized most of his chances on the greens.
The eagle at the par 5 sixth hole was undeniably the highlight of the Sydneysider’s round however, as he crunched a 282-yard drive on the hole that hugs the cliff’s edge before launching a 234-yard approach over the water and onto the green where he coolly rolled in the putt from 16 feet and five inches.
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The world No.52 enjoyed a week off last week after coming tied 13th, missing the cut and tied 18th in his opening three events of the year, and was clearly rejuvenated.
The tied 13th result also could have been better if not for a costly mishap in the final round of The Sentry in Hawaii.
Davis and playing partner Will Zalatoris both received a two-shot penalty for accidentally hitting each other’s balls.
Those two shots cost Davis a tied fifth finish, but he said in the lead-up to this week’s tournament that he has learned from the mistake.
“(We were playing) different numbers, but the difference between a red Titleist two and three, when you’re just glancing down and the balls were in the same position,” Davis mused.
“People saw, but nobody was able to call out and tell us.
“I tend to try and keep things moving … I don’t think I’m ever going to let that happen again.”
In his chat with Australian media, Davis was also outspoken about the issue of slow play, calling for shot penalties to actually be implemented.
He flagged that his game can often suffer when he feels like his rushing to compensate for slow play around him, but Davis never showed such concerns in the first round with an incredibly composed performance.
Meanwhile, fellow Australian Min Woo Lee has started promisingly.
He is four-under par through 12 holes at Spyglass Hill without a bogey on his card.
Jason Day is one-under par having played the same amount of holes as Lee at the same venue, while Adam Scott has endured a tough start as he is one-over par after 13 holes at Spyglass Hill.
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