New Zealand’s Nick Voke (68) and Queenslander Kade McBride (66) sit at 13-under-par after 54 holes of the Beach and Creek courses, with Andrew Martin lurking at -12 after a nine-shot turnaround in just 24 hours produced a 65 on day three.

Although he isn’t in top spot ahead of teeing off on Sunday afternoon, with the experience gained from two Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victories, and a wealth of home course knowledge, the resident of nearby Ocean Grove looms as the player to beat.

“It’s always handy to have local knowledge on a few things and I think that’s what made me comfortable today,” Martin said.

“I’ve only been here three years but I’m here most days when I’m not away for a tournament.

“Me and the boys – (fellow Tour pros) Josh Younger and Jack Murdoch – if we’re home, we’ll play most Wednesday and Saturday comps and my brother is here as well.

“It’s one of the joys of coming down to the Coast from Melbourne and having this sort of lifestyle.”

Voke and McBride have yet to win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, but have gone close before, the Kiwi tying for second at the Queensland PGA in October and McBride finishing runner-up in the NSW Open to David Micheluzzi last March.

“I got out of the gates quickly which is always nice. I hit the ball exceptionally well on the front nine and just had to stay patient on the back nine,” McBride said.

“The course is obviously going to get more difficult tomorrow. The greens are fast and really hard now so I think you just have to take your chances when you get them.

“A win would be awesome.”

Starting the day with a one-shot lead, Voke slipped up with a bogey on the second but that was his only dropped shot of a round that featured five birdies.

Like Martin, PGA Champions member and former Vic Open champion Richard Green, Victorians Ben Wharton and Brett Coletta and NSW’s Jordan Zunic all shot 65s to make big leaderboard moves on day three.

Coletta and Zunic sit at 11-under, two from the lead, with Green and Wharton two shots further back.

Back in his own bed, a pitching wedge from the 13th Beach layout, before heading back to the United States soon for his second year on the most lucrative seniors tour in the world, Green’s day was kickstarted by an eagle on the par-5 second hole.

“This is a great lead-up for the rest of the year for me,” said the 52-year-old who beat his own expectations by finishing 12th on the Charles Schwab Cup standings in his rookie PGA Champions campaign.

“I was pleasantly surprised when I got over there how well I played and how competitive I was against guys like Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Steve Stricker, Padraig Harrington. I was hovering around them most of the time and contending.”

After anticipating the leading score would eventually get to 15-under by the end of the day, Green is better placed than he expected for a Sunday challenge for a second Vic Open title.

For Zunic, his 65 was the continuation of a good run of form which saw him progress through back-to-back weeks of the Asian Tour Qualifying School to secure his card for 2024.

“I was pretty tired when I got back from Thailand and then played at Rosebud last week so I’ve been trying to manage my energy levels,” Zunic said.

“I’ve just been doing what I’ve had to and hopefully will get a week off soon.

“I’m trying to enjoy myself, not too much pressure on myself which is what we’re all trying to do.

“It’s nice to have a round like this one to build my confidence a little bit.”

Coletta, another of the previous winners on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia at the top of the leaderboard, has had his sights firmly on gaining one of the DP World Tour cards on offer to the top three finishers on the end-of-season Order of Merit.

With five top-15s this season, he came into this week ranked 20th but could climb as high as No.3 with a victory tomorrow afternoon.

“The goal is to win the actual whole thing (the Order of Merit) and I’m going alright at the moment,” Coletta said.

“A win out here is paramount really with the double points that are available. There’s such a premium on our majors like this one.”

Wharton’s charge up the leaderboard actually started late in the second round when he had four birdies on his second nine on the Creek Course to make the cut by just two shots.

“It was nice to hole a few putts. It’s been a long time coming,” he said.

“I seem to hit every green in regulation every time I play and walk off with 34 putts.

“It’s been nice today to see a few go in.”

The leading groups will tee off between 1pm and 1.45pm tomorrow.

The only place to watch the Vic Open live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo. Vic Open coverage starts at 3pm (AEDST).

Photo: Kade McBride tees off the first at 13th Beach today

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Aucklander Voke, 29, shot a 4-under 68 with no bogeys on the Creek course to jump up to 9-under overall and a one-shot lead at the halfway mark of the men’s tournament as he chases his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title.

Another Kiwi – Christchurch’s Kazuma Kobori who made the cut today by a shot at 1-under – has won the past two tournaments on Tour, the first to go back-to-back since 2013. Countryman Kerry Mountcastle won the Gippsland Super 6 in November and Ben Campbell won the Hong Kong Open on the Asian Tour late last year.

Voke said Kobori’s sensational performance – and wins by the likes of Lydia Ko and Steve Alker in America – were driving the other Kiwis forward.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I think we’re not doing justice by saying ‘two in a row’.

“I think Kazuma’s last six months have been unbelievable, winning Eisenhower (the world amateur), the Western Amateur. That was unbelievable.

“It’s nice to see a guy kick on like that. Any success for New Zealanders on the world stage, Steve Alker, Lydia Ko… unbelievable. We’re very proud of that.”

Voke came to 13th Beach gutted by just missing out on his Asian Tour card at the recent Qualifying School in Thailand.

“It was a long flight to Melbourne from Thailand,” he said.

“I was on Korn Ferry four years, Asian Tour last year, this is the first year without a main card somewhere, but there are plenty of opportunities out there; plenty of avenues, so just keep on getting better and see what happens,” he said.

He is 45th on the Australasian Order of Merit, but a win at 13th Beach this week would vault him into a position to challenge for a top-three position, which presents a playing card for next season’s DP World Tour.

“The brilliant thing is there are plenty of opportunities that come from this tour,” he said.

“Even beyond the top three, if you finish top 10 you get starts in Europe, Asia, all over the show.

“It’s one of those things, if you play good golf, it takes care of a lot of things.”

The wind was up at 13th Beach this morning but the crowds were out and the scoring was still low, with New South Welshman Chris Fan roaring around in an 8-under 64 to move -7 overall.

The Ocean Grove resident threatened a couple of records on his way to a first-round 65 on the Creek Course at 13th Beach Golf Links to seize a share of the lead with fellow Victorian Aiden Didone in the men’s section of the Vic Open today.

Martin was electrifying in the back half of his round, having started early on the 10^th tee in nice conditions, and playing at his home course.

He made eight consecutive birdies from the 18th to the seventh holes, just one short of James Nitties’ record of nine in a row on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, and his front nine of 29 shots was just a shot away from the Tour record for nine holes.

Through seven holes of his opening round, he was 1-over par and struggling, notably with his driver.

But he picked up eight shots from there thanks to a white hot putter, and getting up-and-down from the back trap at the par-4 ninth, to post 7-under for the day.

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Melburnian Didone rolled in four birdie putts in his last six holes in his 65 on the more difficult Beach Course. His was the lowest round of the day on that course.

“I had a feeling I was going all right the last five or six holes,” he said. “It’s good when the putts roll in. Somedays they lip out.”

Martin and Didone are a shot ahead of three other Victorians – Caleb Bovalina, Todd Sinnott and DJ Loypur – at 6-under with a bunch of players in the pack at 5-under.

Kiwi Kazuma Kobori, winner of the past two tournaments on tour, opened with 4-under 68 on the Creek Course to maintain his momentum and continue his push to become the first winner of three straight tournaments in Australia since Robert Allenby in 2005.

“I actually drove it very badly, but the putter saved me,” Martin said.

“I know the lines, I know where not to go on the front nine. I went everywhere I didn’t want to and I made it hard on myself.”

Martin is enjoying the week at home, allowing his wife Rachel dog walking duties in the morning so that he can practice, and picking up the afternoon shift.

He is a remarkable story; an Australian Amateur winner, he did not win an Australasian Tour event until 2021, and has since added another.

On the surface, he is playing better than ever

“I’m more mature. (I) know my game and play to my strengths. Some people get comfortable … when it’s bright and energetic. I didn’t like the spotlight even when I first turned (professional).

“I was happy to be in the background. But I’m more comfortable with cameras and stuff like that and a bit more mature in the way I play the game. Be a bit calmer when you don’t expect too much from yourself as well. It’s probably the best I’ve played.”

Martin will complete the season at home before heading off to play on the DP World Tour as a result of his top-three finish in last season’s Order of Merit.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to get it, so I’ll be happy to take what I can get. And be ready when I get the call-up,” he said.

Of the chasing pack the one with the regrets was Adam Stojanovic, the New South Wales amateur who shot a 5-under 67 on the Creek Course despite carding a triple-bogey seven on the short par-4 ninth hole, his last of the day.

At that point, he led the tournament by four shots.

But a flared tee shot into heavy mulga cost the 27-year-old dearly.

Originally from Sydney and a graduate of the Jack Newton Junior Golf programs, he is nowadays working in the shop at Yarra Bend links in Melbourne, and contemplating a return to serious golf after not playing for at least two years.

“I hit one bad shot all day and it was on the last,” he said.

“I thought I may as well hit through and make another birdie. Tried to carry the bunkers and hit it bad.”

The only place to watch the Vic Open live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.

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