Masters champion Adam Scott birdied five holes in a row on Thursday and matched Jim Furyk for the first-round lead of the PGA Championship with top-ranked Tiger Woods six shots adrift.
On an Oak Hill layout softened by pre-dawn showers and a 70-minute afternoon rain delay, Scott and Furyk flirted with the course record of 64 shared by Ben Hogan and Curtis Strange before finishing on five-under par 65.
“I got on a bit of a roll and hit a few shots clean,” Scott said. “You’ve got to take advantage of that if it happens because it doesn’t happen very often at majors.”
England’s Lee Westwood and Canada’s David Hearn shared third on 66 with Australia’s Jason Day and Marcus Fraser, England’s Paul Casey and Americans Matt Kuchar, Scott Piercy and Robert Garrigus on 67.
Woods, a 14-time major champion seeking his first major title since the 2008 US Open stumbled to a 71, as did world number two Phil Mickelson.
“I’m still right there,” Woods said. “I’m only six back and we have a long way to go.”