Tournament of Champions 2017: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

The opening round of the SBS Tournament of Champions at Kapalua's Plantation Course in Maui, Hawaii, was filled with elite golfers—including world No. 1 Jason Day, defending champion Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson—but Jimmy Walker stole the show with an eight-under 65.

He is in pole position in the first tournament of the calendar year at the par-73 course.

Here is a look at the scores for Walker and the rest of the leaders:

Walker wasted little time establishing himself as the one to beat in the first round with birdies on Nos. 2, 4 and 6. He also buried a 38-foot putt for eagle on No. 5, per the PGA Tour's official website:

He put things on relative cruise control after that spurt with seven straight pars before a strong finish with birdies on Nos. 14, 15 and 18. While the eagle and six birdies stand out, Walker's overall consistency helped him avoid any bogeys.

According to the PGA Tour, Walker has never shot worse than par in 13 rounds at the Tournament of Champions, so it was business as usual.

There is a three-way tie for second behind Walker, with Jim Herman, Justin Thomas and Ryan Moore all checking in with six-under-par 67s. Justin Ray of the Golf Channel provided some good news for those competitors when he tweeted that the last six Tournament of Champions winners were either leading or within two strokes of the lead after the opening round.

Like Walker, there was not a single bogey between the threesome, and Moore notched two eagles during his round on Nos. 3 and 5.

There were a number of notable names outside the top four, and Johnson headlined five players at four under par.

Three of his birdies came on par-five holes, which comes as no surprise considering his PGA Tour profile says he was No. 2 on tour in driving distance in 2016. His distance helped him dominate the par fives, and the PGA Tour shared one of his head-turning drives:

Elsewhere, Day hit the course for a competitive tournament for the first time since he withdrew from the Tour Championship in September 2016 with a back injury. He finished with a solid three-under 70, but it came on an up-and-down round that included six birdies and three bogies.

If he can find a way to save par when he isn't in birdie position, Day will likely make a charge toward the top of the leaderboard in the coming rounds.

Bubba Watson and Spieth were also somewhat inconsistent, with three birdies and two bogeys on the way to one-under 72s.

Spieth didn't get off to a blazing start, but he is the defending champion at the event and built a five-stroke lead heading into the final round before his victory. If he turns in a strong second round on Friday and has a solid moving day on Saturday, he could lurk as one of Walker's biggest challengers down the stretch.

From a pure highlight perspective, Patrick Reed thrilled the crowd on his way to a three-under, as the PGA Tour shared:

Walker is in control after one round, but there is a loaded field in pursuit. The birdies will clearly prove helpful if he continues to seize the opportunities, but it is also important to simply save par when the chances aren't there.

That will help keep the challengers at bay, which will open the door to extend the lead when he effectively takes advantage of those birdie chances. According to his PGA Tour profile, Walker was 17th on tour in birdie average in 2016.

He can earn an early win in 2017 if he plays like he did Thursday.

Post-Round Reaction

AFP (h/t Yahoo Sports) noted that Walker has a history of playing well in Hawaii, with a victory at the 2014 Sony Open and runner-up finish at the 2015 Tournament of Champions.

"I enjoy being here," Walker said, per AFP: "I love the scenery. I'm a very visual person, so I enjoy looking out and watching the whales when I'm walking around."

Day also reflected on the first round, per AFP: "(My play) was actually all right. Just didn't putt that great."