SYDNEY: Jason Day made a spectacular return to the Australian Open on Thursday, finishing the first round just three shots off the lead as the defending champion Jordan Spieth struggled in tricky conditions. Day, playing his national open for the first time in four years, made the most of his early morning tee time, rolling in eight birdies in perfect sunshine for a superb round of five-under-par 66. The former world number one finished the opening day tied for third place with Nick Cullen, as Cameron Davis set the pace with a blistering round of 63 to lead by two strokes from Taylor Macdonald at The Australian Golf Club. Spieth, playing in the afternoon when the wind had picked up, battled his way to an up-and-down round of one-under-par 70 to end the day seven shots off the lead on a heavily congested leaderboard.
