Despite mixing four birdies with three bogeys, the World No.58 found himself just three shots off the clubhouse lead on a course that hasn't been kind to him over the years.

Scott is playing at Innisbrook for the first time since missing the cut in 2015 and he has failed to finish in the top-25 in six visits.

He is in a tie for 8th as the first round draws to a close, a position he shares with Justin Rose and reigning Masters champion Sergio Garcia.

"For about fourteen holes I played really, really good and then I had some funny stuff coming in," Scott told the US PGA website.

"But maybe (that is) to be expected. It's tricky out there.

"One-under is still a good score ... and it is something to build on for the rest of the week now."

Scott said there were promising signs in his game as he looks towards the Masters next month.

FIRST ROUND LEADERBOARD

"It's been eight months since major golf and this is the time you want to be finding form," he said.

"I'm happy with what I am seeing in my golf in the last five or six rounds and I hope the next couple of weeks are good and I get that bit of confidence because that's always helpful."

Fellow Australians Rod Pampling and Aaron Baddeley finished their opening rounds at one-over par.

Scott's best finish in three starts on the Tour in 2018 has been a tie for 13th at the Honda Classic.

Three days after Corey Conners thought he would have the week off, he set the pace with a four-under-par 67.

The Canadian rookie showed up Monday to go through qualifying for the tournament, shot a 71 to miss out and then was told he got in as an alternate.

Conners took it from there with a clean round on a windy day. His only blemish was a bogey from the bunker on his final hole at No.9.

Rory McIlroy, playing this tournament for the first time, had a 74.