Trailing overnight leader Aaron Pike by five strokes after Round 1, Bruyeres unlocked something with his driver to collect six birdies and join Pike (73) and 2016 champion and Tassie favourite Simon Hawkes (72) at 6-under through 36 holes.

The trio are one shot clear of Lachlan Aylen (69) and Caleb Bovalina followed by Matias Sanchez (71) and Joseph Owen (69) in a share of sixth.

Alex Edge remains in the hunt to become the first back-to-back winner in almost 30 years, just three strokes off the lead and in a tie for eighth at 3-under par.

For Bruyeres, who won a maiden Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title at the PNG Open last year, finding something with the big dog allowed him to capitalise on the other strong parts of his game.

“I just hit the driver way better than I have for the last six months,” said Bruyeres.

“The rest of my game is pretty good. I’ve got the wedges going well, punting well, I just haven’t lately been able to give myself opportunities off the tee.

“For some reason today the driver was friendly to me. Hit some balls in play which just let the wedges and irons kind of flow and holed a couple of putts.”

Only nine players have won multiple Tasmanian Opens since its inception in 1913, Hawkes seeking to become the first Tasmanian to achieve the feat since Peter Toogood’s eighth and final win in 1959.

Understanding the local conditions better than most, Hawkes believes the forecasted winds of up to 50km/h will ensure the 2025 winner is a worthy champion.

“If the weather forecast comes off exactly as it is, it’s anybody’s game, even from a few back,” said Hawkes.

“The winner tomorrow’s going to keep their cool, they’re going to be very, very disciplined in their strategy because there’s probably going to be a few big numbers thrown around in the last group.

“They can just pop up from nowhere so it’s going to be some exciting golf.

“Tomorrow’s really going to prove we’ve got a great champion with those conditions.”

There is a local in the lead, too, in the Tasmanian Women’s Open.

Consecutive rounds of 3-over 76 have given Royal Hobart Golf Club’s Mackenzie Thomas a four-stroke lead from Victorian Grace Yang (83) with another Tasmanian, Hallie Meaburn (79) four strokes further back in third.

Saturday also saw Round 1 of the 2025 Tasmania Inclusive Championship, Western Australian George Vassiliadis to take a seven-stroke lead into the final round.

Photo: Solstice Digital

Leading scores

Men
T1        Simon Hawkes             66-72—138
T1        Aaron Pike                   65-73—138
T1        William Bruyeres          70-68—138
T4        Lachlan Aylen               70-69—139
T4        Caleb Bovalina             70-69—139

Women
1          Mackenzie Thomas (a)              76-76—152
2          Grace Yang (a)                          73-83—156
3          Hallie Meaburn (a)                    81-79—160
4          Riko Danjo                               81-81—162
5          Lorissa Dobson (a)                   81-82—163

Inclusive
1          George Vassiliadis (a)               81
2          Corey Ackerly (a)                      88
3          Leeza Walker (a)                       89