Jason Day takes one-shot lead after Day 1 at Bay Hill

Jason Day looked on Thursday like the guy who rose to No. 1 in the world last summer.

Day finished strong at Bay Hill, including one-putting the final seven holes, to shoot 6-under 66 and take a one-shot lead after Round 1 of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

After the Aussie turned in 1-under 35 following a disappointing double-bogey 6 at the water-less ninth, the reigning PGA champion played a perfect second side. He made mince meat of the par-5 12th, treating it like a par 4. His approach to the 13th was inside a yard. On the next hole, he nearly made a 96-foot putt for birdie. Following a mid-range birdie at the 15th, Day took advantage of the short par-5 16th, hitting his second shot to 10 feet and making the eagle bid.

The 66 ties Day’s best round of the year with the second round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. More importantly, it’s the first time this season that Day has opened in the 60s.

However, Day had reason not to worry. He took extended time off after last year’s FedEx Cup to be with wife Ellie as she delivered the couple’s second child in November. So far in 2016, Day has played just four times. He knew he would eventually get where he wanted with his game.

”There was no sense of urgency at all for me, really,” Day said. ”I just kept on saying, `Just make sure you stay patient and things will happen, it will happen.’ I just got to make sure I get the reps under my belt and hope it will work. This is one good round, one good round in the right direction. … So that helps.”

Day has plenty of world-class pursuers close to him, including Henrik Stenson and Adam Scott, part of a five-way tie for second place. The world No. 3 hopes this opener is a sign of things to come this week.

“It’s good to shoot the score that I did today because it does a lot for my confidence, and I’m just hoping that I can keep it going for the next three days after this.”

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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