RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Australia's Marcus Fraser made the most of a golden opportunity taking a three shot first round lead as golf made a subdued return to the Olympics after 112 years on Thursday with the sport's biggest names and fans staying away.
There were tears and fireworks during some superb golf at the Gil Hanse designed course carved into the Marapendi Nature Reserve.
The only thing missing were spectators with half the 12,000 tickets for the opening round going unsold and only 3,100 passing through the turnstiles.
Adilson da Silva, the only Brazilian in the field, was given the honor of striking the opening tee shot, receiving a smattering of applause from the sparse early morning crowd.