Even though stars Jason Day and Adam Scott opted to stay home, Australia put itself in great position Thursday to reach the podium in the men's golf competition when Marcus Fraser shot an opening-round 8-under 63 to take the lead at Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro .
Fraser completed Round 1 with nine birdies and a lone bogey. He took advantage of calm conditions to place himself in firm contention for a gold medal — the first since golf was last played in the Olympics 112 years ago.
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"I played really steady all day, gave myself chances all day long, managed to make a few long putts, holed out really well," he said.