Elvis Smylie holed a bunker shot last to put his name above star attractions Jason Day and Cameron Smith with a 65 for a first-round lead at the rain-soaked Australian PGA Championship on Thursday.
The 22-year-old, son of multiple Grand Slam doubles tennis champion Liz Smylie, is two ahead of 2022 British Open winner Smith and former world number one.
Smylie was given her first name decades after her father sat in the front row with tennis icon John McEnroe at an Elvis Presley concert in the 1970s.
He sprinkled his own stardust on the opening day of the Australian PGA at Royal Queensland in Brisbane – the opening round of the 2025 DP World Tour season.
At the par-5 ninth, his last, he recovered spectacularly from a poor bunker shot by sinking a subsequent shot from an adjacent sand pit for birdie.
Smylie’s eight birdies and two bogeys put him at six under par, one ahead of little-known Swiss golfer Joel Girrbach, Australian Matias Sanchez and Frenchman Victor Perez.
“Technically I didn’t hit the green and I birdied it, which is a good way to finish and there were a lot of positives today,” Smylie said of not no need for a putter on the final.
“I’ve played a lot of golf (at Royal Queensland) and every aspect of my game is really good at the moment.”
Perez plans to accept the heavy rain forecast in pursuit of his fourth career DP World Tour victory.
“It’s a lot easier when you play well,” he said of the deluge.
“These conditions can create good separation and I was hitting the ball well, so I was able to move around freely.”
Left-hander Smylie eclipsed Smith and Day, who joined crowd favorite and defending champion Min Woo Lee in a marquee field in the morning heat.
Smith and Day shot 67 to join a large group at four under, including LIV golfer Marc Leishman.
Smith, a three-time Australian PGA winner, stagnated for nine holes before a terrific approach into the first hole, his 10th, for the first of four birdies on the back nine.
“Seeing that putt go in (provides) a little bit of confidence and from there, when I get it right, the rest of my game opens up and I can really start playing aggressive golf,” Smith said.
Lee was five under through 12 holes, but dropped three shots and carded a three-under 68.
Day, a 13-time PGA Tour winner, played his first competitive round in Australia in seven years and was warmly received.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been here so I wasn’t sure how things were going to go, but the Australian crowds are always great,” he said.
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