Major winners Cameron Smith and Jason Day went putt-for-shot to share their first clubhouse lead at 4-under-par after matching 67s in the opening round of the Australian PGA Championship on Thursday.

Smith and Day got off to an early start in overcast conditions at the Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane, playing defending champion Min Woo Lee in the Australian supergroup.

Lee had the best of the early game with four birdies in his first six holes, but former world number one Day, playing on home soil for the first time in seven years, soon came into play as he approached the turn.

Smith, the former British Open champion trying to make up for the cut he missed in his home city last year, was level par on the return but three birdies in four holes at the start of the back nine put him level with his playing mates.

Back-to-back bogeys on the back nine dragged Lee down the leaderboard and into the chase group, but he, Smith and Day made shots on the 16th hole to start sharing the lead again by four straight.

Lee immediately gave up his shot on his penultimate hole and fell to three-under, with par at the bottom allowing him to seal a round of 68.

Local teenager Elvis Smylie then stormed home with three birdies in his final four holes to take the clubhouse lead at six-under with a 65.

Following heavy rain over the last few days, the wet weather has largely disappeared by early Thursday morning, but gusting winds and showers could create challenging conditions for late starters in the opening round.