The locals turned out in droves, bright and early, at Royal Queensland to see Australian major champions Cameron Smith and Jason Day along with defending Australian PGA champion Min Woo Lee put on a show to start the Australian PGA Championship.

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The 6.10am tee time Brisbane time seemed to not bother crowd despite Smith – who is dealing with a head cold – not being thrilled about setting a 3am alarm to prepare to rectify for his poor showing in front of his adoring home fans last year when he missed the cut.

The 2022 Open champion struggled to find his groove early as he reached the turn at even par, leaving it to Lee to dazzle the crowd early doors.

The 26-year-old raced out of the blocks with five birdies in his first 11 holes which prompted Smith to quip that “he must have got up at 2” as the absence of daylight savings in Queensland makes for her early starts in the opening two rounds.

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Lee quickly fell away however, slipping back to -3 by the round’s end, as the second nine – which was the front nine as they teed off the tenth – was all about the experienced campaigners.

Much to the delight of the crowd, Brisbane natives Smith and Day surged to -4 to sit two shots back of clubhouse leader Elvis Smylie.

Smith was tongue in cheek when asked what changed for him after the turn, saying that “I started trying”, while Day hinted that it was a good learning curve for Lee as the two members of the group who have proven themselves on golf’s biggest stages took charge.

“He obviously got off to a great start. Played some phenomenal golf getting out of the gates,” Day said.

“I think the average score is going to be 20-under that wins. You’ve got to understand that it is going to be a bit of a marathon.”

The older duo certainly played the long game as they gradually worked their way up the leaderboard.

Former would number one Day was the steady hand of the group with a bogey free round, while Smith was a bit more chaotic with six birdies and two bogeys as well as some spectacular wedge shots.

The two Queenslanders going shot for shot is a sight Australian golf fans have been starved of with Day not having played on home soil since the 2017 Australian Open.

It happens often at the majors, with the Australians keeping a tradition of playing practice rounds together at The Masters, in particular, but it is completely different in tournament play.

Speaking on Wednesday, Day was unsure what sort of reception he would receive upon his return but he was greeted with love and a lot of applause.

Although, it was clear when the group were announced at the tenth tee – their first hole of the day – that Smith is still top dog among the local fans with their mullet sporting hero receiving the loudest cheers.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here so I was not too sure how things would unfold, but it’s been great,” Day said post-round.

“The crowds were amazing. I’m seeing a lot of junior golfers. It’s fun. It’s only going to get bigger and better as this tournament progresses.

“Obviously ‘Cammy’ is a big draw (card) here. It’s nice to get out and watch Min. It’s unbelievable how far he hits the ball. He seems to have a lot of control but had a couple of bad breaks and some bad swings out there.

“But it’s always nervous to come back and defend, especially when you’re in the marquee group.”

Spotting those budding golfers in the crowd took both Day and Smith’s minds back to their junior days.

Post-round, Smith recalled that the first time he came across Day – who is six years his senior – was when he was “12 or 13” and they played in the Queensland Junior at Indooroopilly Golf Club.

“He would have won that week or come close. He was a gun. He was one I looked up to,” Smith recalled.

“Particularly around that age when you spend a lot of time in different competitions.”

The conditions were in stark contrast from their junior days however.

Brisbane has been deluged by rain so far this week, but thankfully it stayed dry on Thursday morning although the wet spots on the course have led to the field playing preferred lies in the opening two rounds.

Many of the bunkers had to be drained overnight before the first round, while spectators trawled through many damp and muddy spots

“We were probably both hoping for different conditions with the golf course considering the weather,” Smith said.

“I’m sure ‘Jase’ was looking forward to getting back to firm and fast Australia and it’s quite the opposite out there.”

Regardless, it was a special moment for Australian golf having the star group kick off the first of the nation’s two prominent tournaments for the summer.

There will be more special moments to come with Smith, Day and Lee grouped together again on Friday afternoon for the second round, while fellow Australian Marc Leishman is also at -4 which could lead to some intriguing all-Australian groupings across the weekend.

Day in particular is excited by that potential.

“It’s always fun to be in contention, regardless who it is but if it’s two Brissy boys, that’d be nice too,” he said.