Adam Scott has let a golden round slip with a sloppy finish on a rough opening day for Australia's golf stars at the US PGA Championship.
Scott signed for a two-under-par 68 to be well-placed tied for sixth at the weather-hit championship in Rochester, outside New York.
But the former world No.1 will be livid after leaving a ball in the bunker and taking a dreaded double-bogey six at the last hole.
Scott also missed a five-foot birdie putt on the 16th that would have given him the outright lead at the season's second major.
Alas, barely half an hour later, he found himself three shots behind unheralded American Eric Cole.
Cole was five under through 14 holes before the horn sounded to signal the suspension of play after the championship's start was earlier delayed almost two hours because of frost.
Bryson DeChambeau is the clubhouse leader after posting a four-under 66.
American former world No.1s Dustin Johnson and Scottie Scheffler and Canadian Corey Connors are the only other players ahead of Scott after firing 67s.
Scott is the only Australian in red numbers after British Open champion Cameron Smith carded a two-over 72 and Jason Day crashed back to earth with a horror first-round 76.
Backing up from his drought-breaking victory at the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship, Day flopped to leave himself 11 shots off the pace.
Day amassed a 23-under winning total last week in Texas but couldn't manage a single birdie on Thursday.
The former world No.1 and 2015 PGA championship winner opted against playing a practice round at Oak Hill, preferring to save his energy, and now needs all he can muster on Friday just to make the halfway cut.
Starting on the 10th, Day's troubles began when he drove out of bounds on the 14th and wound up with a double-bogey six.
He added four bogeys to be languishing in a tie for 117th spot in the 156-player field.
Scott avoided the early-morning freeze and, with three monster drives of 365 yards each, took full advantage of the more comfortable conditions until his last-hole mishap.
Playing in his 87th consecutive major, tying Tom Watson in second place behind only the great Jack Nicklaus' 146, Scott charged to a share of the lead with five birdies and just one bogey in his first 14 holes.
But he lost momentum with a missed short putt on 16, then had to save par from almost six feet on 17 before finding the greenside trap on 18 and making a meal of the hole.
Cam Davis is the next-best Australian after starting with a 71 but will also be irritated after recording a double on the 17th having been under par for most of the day.
Smith mixed three birdies with five bogeys in his round of 72, while Min Woo Lee posted a 73 and Lucas Herbert shot 75.
Making his major championship, David Micheluzzi was seven over par through 15 holes before the stoppage.
