Brett Drewitt has made an impressive start to his PGA TOUR career sharing top Australian honours at the season opening Safeway Open in California.

The 25-year-old, who graduated from the Web.com Tour just a fortnight ago, showed great consistency in shooting 70-71-70-69 to finish 8-under for the week and T35.

It was an ideal start to the season and PGA TOUR career for the Inverell native who began his journey to the world’s top circuit at the PGA Tour China Series almost three years ago.

Finishing in the top-5 on the Order of Merit in the PGA Tour China’s inaugural year in 2014, Drewitt enjoyed a successful 2015 on the Web.com Tour to keep his card then took the next step this year when he graduated to the PGA TOUR via the secondary Tour’s Finals Series.

His play this week saw him finish in good company with Australian veteran and two time PGA TOUR winner John Senden and former Australian Amateur champion Cameron Smith also finishing 8-under for the week.

Like Drewitt, Smith graduated from the recent Web.com Finals Series but has already played a full season on the PGA TOUR courtesy of earning his card at the end of 2015.

Smith didn’t play his best for much of the year and finished outside the top-125 on the FedEx Cup but will be a better player for the experience gained.

Drewitt, Senden and Smith were among eight Australians to take their place in the field for the first event of the 2016/17 wraparound season.

Greg Chalmers, Aaron Baddeley, Rod Pampling, Geoff Ogilvy and Steven Bowditch also teed up at the Silverado Country Club though only Chalmers and Baddeley survived to make the weekend.

Both tournament winners in 2016, Chalmers and Baddeley have assured their cards for the next two seasons and while disappointed to finish T62 and T67 respectively will be feeling little pressure.

For Pampling, Ogilvy and Bowditch things are a little more tense, Pampling having graduated from the secondary Tour for the second straight year while both Ogilvy and Bowditch have only one year left on their respective exemption categories.

Ogilvy is playing this season on a one time career money list exemption while Bowditch’s two year pass for winning the 2015 Byron Nelson tournament expires at the end of 2017.