The immaculately presented Hastings Golf Club was buffeted by wind and showers on a cool Thursday in Bridge Pa, yet Bautista got off to a hot start in a round of 7-under 65.

Order of Merit hopeful Anthony Quayle continued his run of good form with a 5-under 67 to sit in second spot alongside Andrew Evans, Victorian Kyle Michel and 16-year-old New Zealand Amateur champion, Cooper Moore.

Three-under through five holes with four birdies and his only bogey of the day, two-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winner Bautista birdied three of the four par-3s, his best coming at the 179-metre par-3 eighth when he hit 6-iron directly into the teeth of the wind to 15 feet.

The New South Welshman shot 3-under on the back nine with birdies at 11, 12 and 16, revealing that a pro-am pairing with O’Hern at the Vic Open highlighted the area of his game that needed extra attention.

“He said he was rusty, but he was putting his wedges inside of mine consistently from 100 (metres) in,” said Bautista.

“I can admit it when I need to get better in an area, so I asked him what I needed to work on.

“He very generously gave me a call to really hone in on improving that area from 125 and in. And it was night and day.

“I immediately saw improvement and immediately saw how to practise the correct way.

“Nick said, ‘If you’re going to beat the best, you need to be world-class in this area’. He really helped me in what I need to work on so I can consistently put the ball close to the hole with the scoring clubs.”

Tied for third in brutal conditions at the Vic Open, Bautista is getting more comfortable with a grip change he instituted almost a year ago and is benefiting from an adjustment to his putting setup made by Titleist fitting technician, Alex Dudley-Bateman.

“It’s as good as I’ve seen it ever,” Bautista said of his current run of form. “And it’s been consistent for probably four to five months now.

“I had to get honest and realise the thing that I was not doing correctly.

“This is where I should be. I’m exactly where I need to be.”

With five top-five finishes this season, Quayle is again poised to add to his wins at the 2020 Queensland Open and 2022 Queensland PGA.

He shot 5-under in the morning wave and was joined late by Evans, Moore and Michel two shots off the lead.

Hailing from Christchurch, Moore continues to impress. Second at The R&A Junior Open in Scotland last July, Moore only just missed the cut in his New Zealand Open debut a week ago and closed with three birdies in his final five holes on Thursday to sit two back of Bautista.

Moore became the second youngest winner in NZ Amateur history last November. The youngest, Queenslander and 2023 NZ PGA champion Louis Dobbelaar, is one of six players at 4-under par.

Two players withdrew due to injury on day one, Victorian Andrew Martin unable to continue after playing nine holes while West Australian Josh Greer withdrew after completing his round.