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| - Australia's Matt Jones fired a bogey-free nine-under par 61 on Thursday to match the course record at PGA National and grab the early clubhouse lead at the PGA Honda Classic. The 40-year-old from Sydney tied the mark set by American Brian Harman in the second round of the 2012 event thanks to birdies on the last three holes on a windy day at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. "It was a very good day," Jones said. "I struck the ball well actually all day, and it was probably one of the better ball-striking days with my irons that I've had for a long, long time." Jones, a two-time Australian Open champion who captured his only US PGA title at the 2014 Houston Open, fired the lowest round in his 14-year US PGA career, breaking his prior best of 62 in the 2013 final round at Greensboro. "I hit it really nicely," Jones said. "You have to be able to control the ball. It was windy out there, and I turned with a good score, and then you know what you've got ahead of you and I was just lucky to make a few more birdies. "I hit a lot of good shots and I made the putts when I hit it close." American Aaron Wise was second in the clubhouse on 64, three strokes back after Jones delivered the best opening round since the event moved to PGA National in 2007, two lower than Rory McIlroy's old mark from 2014. Jones, who was 55th last week at the Players Championship, has two top-10 efforts this season, a share of fourth in November at Bermuda and a share of eighth last month at Riviera. World number 83 Jones reeled off four birdies in a row starting with a 14-foot putt at the par-4 second. He blasted out of a greenside bunker to two feet from the cup and tapped in at the par-5 third, then dropped approach shots inside five feet and sank birdie putts at the par-4 fourth and par-3 fifth. "I actually didn't know I made four in a row until I saw it on the scoreboard on 18," Jones said. "I didn't even think about it. You can't think about that on this golf course because every hole can bite you. "I don't know if you ever know it's special. I was just managing the golf course and hitting good shots." Jones rolled in birdie putts from just under 17 feet at 11 and just over six feet at 13, then made a clutch par putt from nine feet at the par-4 14th. He began his closing birdie binge by dropping his approach inches from the cup at the par-4 16th and tapping in, then sank a 23-foot birdie putt after missing the green at the par-3 17th. "Made a few putts, and to make a putt from off the green on 17 was good," Jones said. He closed by driving the green in two at the par-5 18th and two-putting from 53 feet, knocking in the last from just inside five feet. "If you can feel the wind at a certain time that I feel like is going to help my shot, I'll go a little quicker sometimes," Jones said. "Like on 18, I had a perfect wind so I went quicker off the tee to get that downwind." Australian Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, eagled the 18th, his ninth hole of the day, for his first eagle in 21 rounds at PGA National. js/mw
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