World No. 1 Jason Day matched the effort of boyhood idol Greg Norman and in the process becoming only the the fifth player to equal the course record at TPC Sawgrass at Ponte Vedre in Florida.

The reigning PGA Champion was in a class of his own grabbing nine birdies in perfect conditions in a round of a nine under par 63 to lead the $US 10.5m Players Championship by two strokes.

Day’s round is his lowest since a similar round of 63 on day three of last August’s Barclays Championship and the opening event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Play-Off Series in New Jersey, and an event the ultra-talented Aussie would capture.

The win came two week’s after Day’s triumph along the shores of Lake Michigan and in his first event since being handed the gleaming Rodman Wanamaker trophy at Whistling Straits.

World No. 1 Jason Day on route to matching the 1994 effort of boyhood hero Greg Norman in shooting a 63 day one 2016 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. (Photo – www.pgator.com)

Day’s Sawgrass 63 is the fourth time since 1992 a player has matched the course record first set 24-years ago by affable American Fred Couples, as the Aussie soared into a two shot lead in what the PGA Tour wish to herald as golf’s ‘Fifth Major;.

Those to have matched Couples effort include Norman (1994), Roberto Castro (2013), Martin Kaymer (2014) and now Day.

“I would have loved to shoot 10-under and be the only guy to hold that record, but I’m in pretty good company with the guys that have shot that, especially with Greg Norman and the way he played shooting 63 and three straight 67s,” said Day.

“If I can keep that up, that would be great … but right now I’ve just got to try and focus on trying to win this tournament and trying to play a good round two.”

Jason Day’s TPC Sawgrass course record equalling scorecard of a nine under par 63 and signed by playing partner Jordan Spieth. (Photo – www.pgatour.com)

Day started on the back nine Thursday and birdied his first three holes, making putts of 30, four and six feet.  He also hit every green in regulation and added one more birdie before he made the turn, rolling in an 11-footer on the 17th hole.

Birdie putts of 13 feet and 20 inches on the first and second holes, or Day’s 10th and 11th, simply continued the momentum.  Day barely missed the next three greens — minor flaws in an otherwise superb round — before he managed to add a 12-footer from the fringe at No. 4 before making birdies on two of his last three holes to tie the record at nine under par.

“I can’t really recall the way that I hit the ball as well as I did today and then also putting as well as I did,” he added.

“I’ve shot scores lower, but I think from tee to green and then on the green and then being patient and everything kind of just clicked today.”

The game’s top-ranked players has already won twice this year, to bring his PGA Tour wins to nine, and hasn’t finished lower than 23rd in the eight tournaments (out of nine) in which he’s made the cut.

Day, who ranks second to Adam Scott in the FedExCup, didn’t play in last week’s Wells Fargo Championship so he arrived in America’s Sunshine State well-rested.

But while an early wake-up call left him tired, Day said it eventually was timely and working in his favour.

“If I’m a little tired, I’ve got to focus a little bit harder to try and hit the shots, the correct shots out there,” Day explained.

“I think that little bit of extra focus helped me to keep the momentum going because I definitely hit a lot of greens out there, and when I did miss the greens on the fringe for the most part, I gave myself a good chance at birdie.

“I just feel really good about how things went today.

“But then the scores here are so low. When you shoot a nine-under-par round, you expect – especially on this course – to have a decent lead. I’ve got only a two-shot lead and there’s a slew of guys that are at seven under and at six and five (under).”

Day’s round was vastly superior to his closest rival in the world rankings, with playing-partner Jordan Spieth stumbling to a level-par 72 despite making four birdies on the back nine.

World No. 3 Rory McIlroy birdied the 17th hole in an otherwise no-frills level par 72.