Marc Leishman and Jason Day emerged from a fog delay at the start of the day to send the Aussie flag into first and second position on day one of the PGA Tour’s season-penultimate BMW Championship in Chicago.

Leishman, and third a fortnight ago in Boston, revealed he harboured thoughts of posting a 59 before eventually storming to a three three-shot clubhouse lead with his nine-under par 62 on the Conway Farms layout.

Marc Leishman shoots a 62 day one 2017 BMW Championship.

However that lead was cut to two when Day and the Ameicans Jamie Lovemark and Charley Hoffman signed for seven-under 64s.

The current World No. 22 ranked Leishman took to the Windy City course in racing to three-under through four holes and while he bogeye the fifth Warnambool’s favourite golfing son rebounded with a hat-trick of birdies form the seventh, and none better when he holed a seven-metre birdie putt at the par four ninth.

Leishman, and clearly drawing off going so close to victory in the Dell Technologies, then grabbed four back nine birdies including draining an six metre putt for birdie at the par three 11th and then landing his wedge approach shot on the par three 15th to just a metre.

“I hit the ball well and the putter co-operated as I was rolling the ball really well, feeling confident the way I rolled my club, so it’s nice when you can get on a run like this and hopefully I can keep it going,” he said.

“Shooting a 59 did enter my mind to be honest. I hit a good shot into 16 and just misread that putt and had one on 17, probably out of reach.

“But overall I am happy with the day.

“Playing well as I did in Boston does gives you confidence. When you play golf and all you’re thinking about is making birdies it’s a lot easier than trying to not make bogies. When your confidence is low and you’re not putting great it puts more pressure on your entire game and you know when — you know, when — your putter is rolling well it takes pressure off your game.

“All you’re thinking about is making as birdies as possible. It’s nice to make ten of them today.”

Jason Day on route to a 64 on the opening day of the 2017 BMW Championship in Chicago.

Day, winner of the event two years ago and also at Conway Farms, was probably doing a lot of thinking for the wrong reasons when he soon bogeyed the second after missing the green back left.

But Day, and with new caddy and Adelaide-born Luke Reardon, regrouped with a birdie at the fourth before he brilliantly eagled the par five eighth hole in landing his second shot to just a metre.

Day then saved his best for the back nine and storming his way to five birdies for an eventual round of 64 to be then joined by Hoffman and Lovemark.

“Obviously being able to have some good experiences here in 2015, I won here as it’s a great golf course,” Day said.

“It sets up nicely for me being able to just go out there and play some golf and getting off to kind of an average start but making that eagle on 8 was huge and then just kind of starting to let things go on the backside was nice.

“I felt like today was just a good solid — saying 7-under is a great start but just a good step in the right direction especially with having Luke on the bag.

“Not having Colin on the bag is something different and I just didn’t know how I was going to play today because I’m so used to having Col on the bag.

“But in saying that Luke did a fantastic job out there. We worked well together and hope we can keep that going.”

And Cameron Smith made it three Australian flags inside the top-10 on the $US 8.75m event with a five under par 66 and with Smith posting seven birdies in his round including five over his outward half.

He headed to a well-deserved lunch leading by three before being joined very late in the day by Queenland-born Day

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Leishman, and third a fortnight ago in Boston, revealed he harboured thoughts of posting a 59 before eventually storming to a three three-shot clubhouse lead with his nine-under par 62 on the Conway Farms layout.

The current World No. 22 took the Windy City course in racing to three-under through four holes and while he bogeyed the fifth Warnambool’s favourite golfing son rebounded with a hat-trick of birdies form the seventh, and none better when he holed a seven-metre birdie putt at the par four ninth.

Leishman, and clearly drawing off going so close to victory in the Dell Technologies, then grabbed four back nine birdies including draining an six metre putt for birdie at the par three 11th and then landing his wedge approach shot on the par three 15th to just a metre.

“I hit the ball well and the putter co-operated as I was rolling the ball really well, feeling confident the way I rolled my club, so it’s nice when you can get on a run like this and hopefully I can keep it going,” he said.

“Shooting a 59 did enter my mind to be honest. I hit a good shot into 16 and just misread that putt and had one on 17, probably out of reach.

“But overall I am happy with the day.

“Playing well as I did in Boston does gives you confidence. When you play golf and all you’re thinking about is making birdies it’s a lot easier than trying to not make bogies. When your confidence is low and you’re not putting great it puts more pressure on your entire game and you know when — you know, when — your putter is rolling well it takes pressure off your game.

“All you’re thinking about is making as birdies as possible. It’s nice to make ten of them today.”

Day, winner of the event two years ago and also at Conway Farms, was probably doing a lot of thinking for the wrong reasons when he soon bogeyed the second after missing the green back left.

But Day, and with new caddy and Adelaide-born Luke Reardon, regrouped with a birdie at the fourth before he brilliantly eagled the par five eighth hole in landing his second shot to just a metre.

Day then saved his best for the back nine and storming his way to five birdies for an eventual round of 64 to be then joined  by the American duo of Charley Hoffman and Jamie Lovemark.

“Obviously being able to have some good experiences here in 2015, I won here as it’s a great golf course,” he said.

“It sets up nicely for me being able to just go out there and play some golf and getting off to kind of an average start but making that eagle on 8 was huge and then just kind of starting to let things go on the backside was nice.

“I felt like today was just a good solid — saying 7-under is a great start but just a good step in the right direction especially with having Luke on the bag.

“Not having Colin on the bag is something different and I just didn’t know how I was going to play today because I’m so used to having Col on the bag.

“But in saying that Luke did a fantastic job out there. We worked well together and hope we can keep that going.”

And Cameron Smith made it three Australian flags inside the top-10 on the $US 8.75m event with a five under par 66 and with Smith posting seven birdies in his round including five over his outward half.

He headed to a well-deserved lunch leading by three before being joined very late in the day by Queenland-born Day

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