Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm and J.J. Spaun share the lead after carding nine-under-par rounds of 64 on the first day of the season-opening Tournament of Champions in Hawaii on Thursday.

Two-time major winner Morikawa reeled off a career-best six straight birdies from the 10th to 15th holes, before ending his round with a birdie on the par-five 18th.

Fellow American Spaun was an early leader with five birdies on his front nine, enjoying a run of four consecutive birdies from the 12th to the 15th too.

Former world number one Jon Rahm, who was among the last to finish the day's play, bounced back from a bogey on the 14th hole, birdieing three of his final four holes to grab a share of the lead.

The trio are one stroke ahead of South Korean Tom Kim, who managed two eagles in his eight-under-par round of 65. Kim holed out spectacularly off one bounce on the sixth hole from 116 feet, while he repeated the feat on the 15th after a fine approach which was one of the best shots of the day.

Six players are next at seven under, including world number two Scottie Scheffler who finished his round with four birdies on the final five holes.

Scheffler is tied with Tom Hoge, Aaron Wise, Sungjae Im, Matt Fitzpatrick and Mackenzie Hughes.

Six players are a further shot back including Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland and Hideki Matsuyama.

Patrick Swayze famously said "nobody puts Baby in the corner" in 'Dirty Dancing', but Scottie Scheffler joked he planned to do so for Bubba Watson at this year's Masters Champions dinner.

It was confirmed last month that LIV Golf defectors will be allowed to play at Augusta National provided they meet the eligibility criteria, as the civil war between the Saudi-backed breakaway series and the PGA Tour continues.

Two-time champion Watson is among a group of past victors such as Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, and Charl Schwartzel, while Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau can all tee it up due to successes at other major tournaments.

Jon Rahm shrewdly observed this week that "the Masters Champions Dinner's going to be a little tense compared to how it’s been in the past" as players from the warring tours gather in the same room.

Scheffler, aiming to regain world number one status in Hawaii at the Tour of Champions this week, did his part to diffuse any simmering tension with a cheeky comment about Watson during a chance meeting on vacation.

"Yeah, I haven't seen many of the LIV guys. I saw Bubba on vacation this year, and I told him that I was just going to have a separate table for him in the corner by himself. Only kidding, obviously!" the defending Masters champion quipped.

"I just walked into this restaurant and him and Angie [Watson's wife] were sitting there and I was like, 'Hey, man, what's up.'"

Scheffler did reflect on the strange events occurring in golf.

His locker at Hualalai Golf Club this week is next to defending champion Smith, who is ineligible to play following his defection to LIV. 

Scheffler, though, remains confident the wounds will heal.

"In the world of golf, it's definitely a little sad what's happening. It's kind of weird this week. I get to my locker, and my locker's next to Cam Smith's locker, because he's a past champ here, and he's not here," he added.

"So, it's a little strange, but golf will move on. I think this stuff just takes time. Things will heal and we'll see what happens. 

"All that stuff is not really for me. I can only show up and just try and play good golf, and I'm not going to LIV anytime soon and so it's not of a concern for me at the moment."

Asked about the mood in the room at the Champions Dinner, Scheffler said: "With Augusta National being such a special place and with the history of the game and whatnot I think we can put all our stuff aside and just get together for a fun meal, all in a room together and just kind of celebrate the game of golf and Augusta National and just hang out."

Jon Rahm wants the PGA and DP World tours to collaborate in making a decision on the inclusion of LIV Golf players at this year's Ryder Cup.

A number of high-profile players have left both tours for LIV Golf since the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit's inception last year.

Henrik Stenson was stripped of the Europe captaincy in July after making the switch, with Ryder Cup veterans like Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood among those in danger of being ruled ineligible, while the United States have ruled out the selection of LIV players.

Speaking ahead of the Sentry Tournament of Champions, Rahm said it would not be smart to have a situation at the Ryder Cup – which takes place in Rome in September – where one team calls up LIV Golf players and the other does not.

"Listen, there's some people that are going to have to make some tough choices," he said. "I hope the PGA of America and European Tour make a decision together. I don't think it would be smart to have one team allowing LIV players and one not to.

"And besides that, even if they decide not to on that side, I think it's going to give an opportunity for a lot of great young players to show up and have the chance in Europe, right? It's just going to be an opportunity for all of them. We saw a younger United States team last Ryder Cup and they did what they did [beating Europe 19-9 in 2021].

"I'm hoping these younger guys who have grown up watching the Ryder Cup and seeing their idols do what they do, let's say, it energises the team a little bit in any manner and we show up there to win."

Rahm also joked about the "chaos" around the LIV Golf breakaway, saying: "I've had two kids in 15 months, so compared to that, I don't know if what's happened around golf is as comparable."

He insists it has not changed his perception of his fellow professionals, though, adding: "I didn't feel a difference in any of the majors last year. If somebody has a problem with LIV players, they're just not going to deal with them and that's about it.

"In my mind, like I've said it before, I respect their choice and the ones I was friends with before I'm still going to be friends with, right? It doesn't change the way I'm going to operate with them."

Rahm, a big football fan, was also asked for his opinion on the recent World Cup final that saw Argentina and Lionel Messi beat France on penalties after an exciting 3-3 draw in Qatar, which also featured Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick for Les Bleus.

"That final was incredible," he said. "I think I took more inspiration from Mbappe. He put the team on his back and tied a final that they had no business tying, let's be honest.

"And Messi, I mean, I've been watching Messi play for so long that it's amazing that he can still surprise a lot of people. When the debate of greatest of all time is up in the air, he does what he did and carried Argentina to a World Cup final.

"It's not my business to decide who is the best or who is not because I never saw [Diego] Maradona play, but he's made a pretty good argument.

"I don't know if I'll see a final this good ever again in my lifetime. I hope I do, but I doubt it. The only way this could have been better if it was Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo facing off and they each had a hat trick and things like that. Kylian being the next closest thing, because he's clearly the future of this sport."

Rory McIlroy will sit out next month's Tournament of Champions despite its status as one of the PGA Tour's "elevated purse" events.

The world number one is absent from the confirmed field of players set to take to Kapalua's Plantation Course for the traditional season opener on January 5.

The Tournament of Champions is one of several events with an increased pot, in what is viewed as an effort to combat the lucrative pay-outs offered by LIV Golf.

McIlroy, a vocal critic of the breakaway last year, will not be on hand for the curtain-raiser, however, having opted to pass on the event.

PGA Tour members are allowed to skip one "elevated purse" event per season, with the Northern Irishman opting to bow out of the tournament in Hawaii this time around.

It means he has still made just the one visit to the event, having finished T4 in 2019.

Three of last year's major winners will compete however, with Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas and Matt Fitzpatrick all included in the field.

11 first-time winners are included from 2022, while eight of the world top 10 and four FedExCup champions also make the cut, though Open Championship winner Cameron Smith is absent after his LIV Golf defection.

McIlroy is also expected to skip the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January, where he started his campaign this year.

The four-time major winner is set to start his campaign on the DP World Tour instead, with the Dubai Desert Classic, where he is a two-time previous winner.

Cameron Smith set a record 72-hole score on the PGA Tour as he claimed a stunning triumph at the Tournament of Champions.

Smith entered the final round in a share of the lead with Jon Rahm, who tied the course record with his 12-under-par 61 on Saturday.

Rahm was again in stellar form at Kapalua, going seven under for his fourth round, but came up just short as Smith made the most of favourable scoring conditions in Maui.

The Australian carded a blemish-free eight-under 65, which he capped with a three-foot putt for a clinching birdie.

That saw him improve to a 34-under 258 for the tournament. No man has ever finished as many shots under par on the PGA Tour, with Smith beating Ernie Els' tournament record score of 31 under set way back in 2003.

Rahm also bettered that score, as did Smith's compatriot Matt Jones, who finished 32 under par to claim third place.

But the day and the week in Hawaii belonged to Smith, who has now won the tour for three successive seasons.

"Mate, it was intense. Jonny and I played well the whole day and we had Matty in the group in front lighting it up as well," Smith said.

"Unreal round, something I'll never forget for sure.

"I was just trying to hit one shot at a time, I know that sounds cliche. We spoke about it earlier in the day that we wanted to get to 35 under. We missed it by one so in that sense disappointing but happy to come away with the W."

Rahm, making his season debut, understandably took heart from a performance that would under most circumstances have earned him victory.

"I have every reason to be smiling," Rahm said. "It's a bittersweet moment."

Justin Thomas insists his "embarrassing" and "humiliating" use of a homophobic slur is "not me" and reflected on Ralph Lauren's decision to stop working with him as a result of the incident.

World number three Thomas was heard making the offensive comment by a television microphone when playing at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii earlier this month.

Afterwards, Thomas apologised for his "inexcusable" use of the slur and he again addressed the issue when previewing the Abu Dhabi Championship on the European Tour this weekend. 

"It's humiliating. It's embarrassing. It's not me. It's not a word that I use, but for some reason, it was in there," Thomas said. 

"And that's what I'm trying to figure out as to why it was in there, and just like I said, it's going to be a part of this process and training program or whatever I need to do, not only to prove to myself but prove to my sponsors and prove to those people that don't know who I am that that is indeed not the person I am."

Thomas will be playing without shirt branding in Abu Dhabi after Ralph Lauren opted to end its partnership with the 27-year-old.

Asked about the company's decision, Thomas replied: "I think disappointed is the wrong word. 

"Obviously I was upset. But at the end of the day, they have that right. They had to make the decision that they had to make. I spoke with them along with all my sponsors. 

"Although I apologised, it's like it was then; it's an opportunity for me to grow and I felt like it was something we could have done together and gone through that process. 

"They just felt like they needed to move on. That's exactly what I'm doing, as well. It was a great run that we had and a great partnership, but you know, things will work out on the best."

Thomas confirmed conversations have been held with his other sponsors, adding: "I've had great communication with all of them. 

"It was obviously not calls or e-mails I was hoping or planning to make but I needed to because I have some great long-lasting partnerships with all my sponsors. They know that's not the person that I am.

"They know that's not how I act and although they are far from brushing it to the side just like I am, they understand that this is an opportunity for me to educate myself, grow, become a better person, and just like they hope, I know that I'll become a better man and a better person because of it, and they are going to kind of help me along that process."

Thomas earned the backing of Rory McIlroy, who is confident his on-course rival will learn from his error in judgement.

"I think he's already responded really, really well," the four-time major winner said. 

"I think he realised he made a big mistake as soon as it was brought to him and he completely owned up to it. He said he messed up; he's going to try to be better. 

"And you know, Justin is true to his word. He will be. If anything, it will probably just make him a better person than he already is, which is hard because he's already a great guy."