Friday, 12 January 2018: Australia's Cameron Smith is among the early frontrunners in the PGA Tour event in Honolulu after a four-under 68.

CAMERON SMITH of Australia plays a shot during the pro-am tournament prior to the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Cameron Smith is among the early frontrunners at the US PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii while Jordan Spieth's charge was derailed by a tree-studded quadruple bogey.

Queenslander Smith shot a four-under-par 66 on the opening morning on Honolulu's Waialae Country Club course.

He is three shots behind clubhouse leader Chris Kirk, who posted a flawless 63, including five birdies on the back nine.

Kirk is one shot clear of fellow Americans Vaughn Taylor, Kyle Stanley and Talor Gooch.

Top-ranked Australian Marc Leishman started solidly with a 68.

Three-time major champion Spieth was high on the leaderboard at four under until he got to his 17th hole - the par 4 8th - where he hit trees four times.

Spieth's tee shot went left into a tree then rough. The next also hit a tree and barely advanced while his third and fourth shots also hit trees before he finally found a greenside bunker and got up and down for an eight.

He finished with a one-under 69.