Hideki wins as Leish takes fifth at the Masters

Marc Leishman saw his Masters hopes evaporate early in the final round as Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama strode to a famous victory and a green jacket at Augusta National today.

Leishman, the Australian who began the final day in the second-last group, had a disappointing few hours. Four back at seven under par, he needed to keep bogeys off his card and he also needed some help from Matsuyama. He got neither.

Three dropped shots in the first seven holes put paid to his chances, and he limped in with a one-over par 73, his high point being his tee shot at the par-three 16th which almost funnelled into the hole.

Ultimately Leishman finished tied-fifth, the third top-10 of his career at Augusta, while Cameron Smith finished strongly to grab a T10 result and another top 10 in the Masters, his third in four years.

Meanwhile Matsuyama did exactly what he needed to do with a four-shot buffer, shooting a final-round 73 to win by a shot at 10 under par from 24-year-old American Will Zalatoris. Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth tied for third at nine under par.

Not that it was necessarily a walk in the park for the Japanese player ranked 25th in the world. He was challenged by Americans Zalatoris on the front nine and Schauffele on the back side.

Zalatoris was within two when he holed a birdie putt from just inside three metres at the second hole.

But Matsuyama bombed a par-saver from five metres at the fifth, then a gorgeous chip set up birdie at the eighth. At nine, the Japanese superstar hit a superb iron shot that trickled down under the flag and he made the putt.

Suddenly, his lead was five again as he headed to the back nine.

Matsuyama had his moments from the time his poor tee shot at the first led to an opening bogey. At 12, he dropped a shot from the back bunker. At the 15th, his nuclear four iron second shot bounced hard and ran into the water behind the green.

This was Schauffele’s moment. A birdie from the right bunker pulled him within two shots of Matsuyama as they went to the 16th tee. But Schauffele, usually so calm in the heat, tripled the par-three 16th after his eight iron shot found the water.

Now, Matsuyama only had to par his way in and even then, the profoundly-impressive Zalatoris had holed a par putt from more than five metres at the last to post nine-under, two shy of where the Japanese player sat.

At 17, Matsuyama hit the green and two-putted, conservatively so. At 18, still holding a two-shot lead, he pummeled his drive and then from the right trap, made a bogey that left him a shot ahead after posting a 73.

He becomes the first Japanese player to win the Masters and the first male Japanese player to win any major. Two Australians in the top 10 was a good result for the week. Smith’s 70 included a monumental, curling birdie at the par-five 13th. Again, he has shown his love of Augusta National, where he was T5 in 2018 and joint runner-up behind Dustin Johnson last year.

Matt Jones closed with a 72 to finish 26th, but was disappointed. “I just didn’t putt very well at all the whole week,” said Jones, who was playing for the second time at Augusta. “I mean, I probably couldn’t have got anything less out of every round than I did. I mean, it was great to play four rounds, but I definitely think I should have been a lot better than where I am.”

Adam Scott was out of the picture after a poor third round, and he closed with a 73 to finish 54th at 11 over par.

Leishman began with a realistic chance, but he bogeyed the first after pulling his approach left, then after picking up a shot with a nice wedge in close at the par-five second, his wedge approach at the third went off the back of the green and he gave back another shot.

It was an indication of what was to come.

At the seventh he was short of the green in regulation and made bogey. At 11 came the first real indication of frustration: a flared tee shot into the pine trees and an audible groan, with the slightest of thumps as the driver banged down into the turf afterwards. Another bogey ensued.

He would hit just six fairways for the day. Certainly it was the 29-year-old Matsuyama’s day. He came to Augusta for the first time in 2011 and was the leading amateur.

As a young professional he reached a No. 2 world four years ago but his progress stalled, and this was his first win since 2017. In the meantime, he hired a swing coach, Hidenori Mezawa, and ironically has tried to remove the distinctive top-of-backswing pause from his game. Certainly his fame in Japan has scarcely receded, and it will not now.

“He’s a bit like a Tiger Woods to the rest of the world, Hideki in Japan,” said Adam Scott, who has played a lot with Matsuyama.

Now, he is a legend in his own right.

Adam Scott had seen it before. Twelve months earlier Cameron Smith emerged as the lightning rod that provided the conduit between the boisterous fans at Royal Melbourne Golf Club and the Internationals team attempting to complete the most unlikely victory in Presidents Cup history.

As American captain Tiger Woods provided the impetus for his team to pull in front during the Sunday singles matches, Smith fought back to complete an inspirational win over current world No.2 Justin Thomas.

It wasn’t enough to carry his team to victory but that and his subsequent runner-up finish at The Masters last November has convinced Scott that his fellow Queenslander has a green jacket in his future.

Smith became the only player in Masters history to record four sub-70 rounds last year but it was the way he pushed eventual champion Dustin Johnson – he was just two off the lead with nine holes to play – that impressed Scott most.

“More than anything with the experience and his maturity, he’s got that kind of killer instinct in him when he’s in the hunt,” Scott explained after playing nine holes with Smith at Augusta National on Monday.

“I see it when he plays match play. I saw it at the Presidents Cup.

“Although he was always kind of trailing DJ, he never backed down. He didn’t give DJ much breathing space. DJ still had to play a great round of golf Sunday. It looked like he was always well ahead, but there were moments where if one made and one missed, he was right there.

“Cam is right up for the fight. His game is coming along nicely, performing consistently.

“It would be no surprise if he’s contending again, and if it’s not this year it’ll be another major this year or next year he could come up and win for sure.”

An unabashed fan of the golf course and the creativity that it both demands and rewards, Smith spent Monday refamiliarising himself with an Augusta National that is significantly firmer than it was five months ago.

Such are the conditions that the five Aussies in the field feel they are all well placed to perform and the 2020 Greg Norman Medal winner has again taken the opportunity to tap into Scott’s past success so that he can too join an illustrious club where a green jacket is the uniform of choice.

“Obviously ‘Scotty’ has been here about 20 years, so he knows a lot more about the course than what I do,” Smith said.

“Pick his brain a little bit here and there, just certain pin locations, where he lays up on par-5s for those pins.

“There’s no real trick around here. You just need to play good golf.

“The course is already so much different to what it was last year, so it’ll be a different challenge, but nonetheless, looking forward to the challenge.”

Booked in to play nine holes with Matt Jones on Wednesday after Jones qualified for his second appearance at The Masters by virtue of his win at The Honda Classic two weeks ago, Scott is cautious not to overload those seeking insights with too much information.

Conceding that after finishing ninth in his Masters debut in 2002 he became caught up in the folklore of how best to play Augusta and didn’t feature in the top 10 again for close to a decade, Scott’s advice to those seeking it is short and sweet.

“Not knowing too much served me well. I just came in and played my game,” said Scott, who was runner-up at The Masters in 2011.

“I assessed the conditions, how I saw them, and I didn’t know that maybe going for the left pin on 1 is the end of your tournament or something like that, and got away with it. I was playing well but got away with it.

“It’s not a bad thing to not pollute a first-timer’s mind with, ‘Don’t hit it here or you’ll never recover’. That kind of stuff you don’t need to hear.

“Maybe there’s a pointer or two that could be helpful but really I wouldn’t try and influence a first-timer too much on how they play.

“You’ve got to develop your own level of comfort. I don’t know anyone else’s game that good to tell them how to play.”

A career renaissance that has gone largely unnoticed now carries an extra element of gravitas after Queenslander Brad Kennedy secured the 2020/2021 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.

The outbreak of the coronavirus in early 2020 caused significant disruptions to the Australasian tournament schedule but a run of six events in the space of eight weeks ensured the Order of Merit was completed and Kennedy could be pronounced its champion.

Winner of the New Zealand Open in March last year – the final event before the temporary suspension of the season – Kennedy added the inaugural event of The Players Series at Rosebud Country Club to his tally of season victories to go with two top-fives and a tie for seventh at last week’s Golf Challenge NSW Open at Concord Golf Club.

Unable to be caught when the NSW Open commenced, Kennedy finished almost $50,000 clear of ISPS HANDA Vic Open champion Min Woo Lee with 2019 Order of Merit winner Ryan Fox rounding out the top three.

The Order of Merit crown brings with it some tangible rewards – a European Tour card, starts at The Open Championship and two World Golf Championship events – yet the 46-year-old is taking quiet satisfaction as to what this latest achievement represents.

After spending more than a decade chasing his breakthrough win as a professional, Kennedy has accrued eight tournament wins in the past 10 years, rising to as high as No.100 in the world on the back of his second NZ Open win last year.

It is reward not only for an incredibly consistent season on his home tour but for the 20 years of patience and perseverance that it has taken to realise his full potential in the twilight years of his career.

“Sometimes as a player you go unnoticed and I’ve felt that a fair bit to be honest,” Kennedy admitted.

“I don’t really care what anyone thinks about me or what anyone says, I just go out and do my thing. I don’t need to be out there promoting myself or doing things that aren’t me. I just let my clubs do the talking.

“It’s definitely gratifying that I’ve been able to achieve that and maybe prove things to some people… but that’s not what I’m about. I’m just trying to be as good a player as I can and put myself under those pressures every week and see what I’m capable of.

“In a few years’ time I’ll probably look back and see it as a great achievement and shows consistency throughout the year but right now there are so many things going on that it’s hard to try and reflect.

“All I’m trying to do is move forward and look at opportunity and where you can continue to play because I definitely don’t have much time left.”

A father of two girls, Kennedy’s first priority is to return to Japan as soon as possible and secure his status on the Japan Golf Tour for the 2022 season but he and other Aussies and Kiwis are waiting to be cleared to apply for a visa into Japan.

“And now that Brisbane is about to go into lockdown if I don’t get the go ahead to go to the embassy today (Monday) I won’t be able to apply until Friday at the earliest,” Kennedy explained.

Like Australia, Japan still requires international visitors to quarantine for two weeks. Players from Korea were recently given the all clear to enter the country and are currently going through that 14-day isolation ahead of the first event of the year, the Token Homemate Cup starting April 15.

It’s the first of 25 events that the Japan Golf Tour hopes to stage in 2021 and with status on the Asian Tour and a card in the mail from the European Tour, Kennedy is in a position he could only have dreamed of as a rookie pro back in 1994.

“It’s a real juggling act as to what I do at the moment,” Kennedy conceded.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great problem to have, but it’s also a difficult problem to make decisions on.

“I don’t really know what use I’ll get from it this year given all the travel restrictions.

“I don’t know where else I’m going to be able to go this year and with the European Tour exemption I don’t even know when that starts.

“The opportunity is what you’re always after in any career so to have opportunity is great but then after that you’ve got to decide what’s best.

“For me at the moment I need to get myself focused on Japan for the end of this year and keep myself exempt up there.”

Two years ago Kennedy and renowned performance coach Dave Alred sat down and designed a plan to maximise his final years in the game. Such has been the successful execution of that plan that Kennedy is likely to play on until close to his 50th birthday in 2024.

“I sat down with Dave at the start of 2019 and told him that I had two years left and I was finished and he made me really accountable for that fact,” added Kennedy, who played his first PGA TOUR event at the ZOZO Championship last November and the WGC-Workday Championship in February.

“He told me I had 48 tournaments left until I finished my career and that really made me change my mindset and attitude about every event that I go to now.

“For me now, every tournament has a real purpose.

“I’m still trying to achieve things that I think I can and that is pushing me and getting me to play the way that I’m playing.

“I was hoping to wind down last year so to have these exemptions now including the Asian Tour exemption, it’s making it difficult to stop playing.

“At the same time within myself I need to know when enough is enough and it’s time to move on.”

Congratulations to all of the players who have secured a card for next season on the PGA Tour of Australasia ⛳️

Take a look at the final Order of Merit for 2020/21 here 👉 https://t.co/wztPSqAIUE #PGATA #PGAProud pic.twitter.com/0i1smvI1HH
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) March 31, 2021

PGA Tour of Australasia Final Order of Merit

1. Brad Kennedy $302,480

2. Min Woo Lee $253,327

3. Ryan Fox $168,882

4. Lucas Herbert $162,841

5. Nick Flanagan $116,709

6. Travis Smyth $95,519

7. Marcus Fraser $89,499

8. Bryden Macpherson $82,795

9. Michael Hendry $81,549

10. Anthony Quayle $59,877

No matter how many tournaments they play, in whatever country and weather conditions, managing your game and emotions is critical to your success in professional golf, as it is in life.

All week at Concord Golf Club it has been a story of mental toughness. Elvis Smylie, barely 18, spoke of his desire to be mentally the toughest player on tour. That the 15th club in your bag is the space you create with your mind.

In the end, however, when it all mattered the most, it was a quiet, cerebral Victorian by the name of Bryden Macpherson who was the mental giant.

The Victorian held back all-comers for a title he compared in status and importance to his British Amateur win back in 2011, and the biggest cheque of his career.

A decade ago, Macpherson was spoken of in the same excited tones now reserved for rookie Smylie after that win. An invitation to play in the Masters and Open followed and he set about conquering the world. Except he didn’t.

Fast forward 10 years and the mental strength he talks about was actually the difference on a tough day here at Concord. Challenge after challenge came and he saw them off despite battling his own game and lack of momentum. When he bogeyed the par-five 11th his round had returned to the number he started on (-15), and he must have felt the pressure. He hung tough anyway.

South Australian Jack Thompson immediately bogeyed 12 and 13 to relinquish his lead, and Macpherson felt his chance had come. But it was on the next hole that he dropped the sledgehammer that created the momentum he’d been waiting for, a 35-footer for eagle.

“I honestly thought my chance was on 12 when I had a 12-footer for a little two-shot swing, but luckily I got another chance on 13 and I took advantage,” the 30-year-old said.

“I hadn’t really holed any long ones all week and I kept saying to myself that I’m due to hole one soon. It looked good the whole way.”

Asked later about his mental toughness, Macpherson used a different word “consistency”.

“I did not have my best game today, it just wasn’t there,” he said.

“I didn’t seem to be reading putts very well. The best thing I could do was just stick in there and get lucky and some of the other guys will get nervous.”

Smylie’s charge ended on 17, when he was just a shot back, with a drive that landed between tree roots forcing him to take relief and a double-bogey. He won thousands of new fans this week with his languid swing and precise irons but admits he needs to work on the putter. The difference between winning and losing was the number of three putts over the weekend (four).

Fan favourites Nathan Barbieri and Michael Sim showed glimpses of their brilliance throughout the week, but just spun their tyres this weekend. Sim showed he still has the game to compete on any tour, and Barbieri found himself in trouble too often to mount a challenge.

Still, the future looks great as far as Macpherson is concerned.

“All of these young kids, they are really good players,” said Macpherson.

“I’m excited to see what they do, and I hope they can stick to what they’re doing and get better at competing. There’s nothing wrong with Nathan and Jack’s game. I was impressed.”

Bryden Macpherson has won his second ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament in as many months at the Golf Challenge New South Wales Open.

The win cements Macpherson as one of the in-form golfers of the season following a victory at the Moonah Links PGA Classic in February, followed by a T16 finish at TPS Sydney and a T2 at the Isuzu Queensland Open.

Starting the day with a one-stroke lead, Macpherson held his nerve throughout the final round to win by three strokes over rising star Elvis Smylie.

The Victorian completed the tournament with rounds of 66-67-65-68 for a tournament total of 18-under par.

Smylie held a share of the lead before a double bogey on the 17th pushed him back to 15-under.

Young South Australian Jack Thompson also led the tournament early in the final round before finishing at 15-under par alongside Smylie.

Macpherson joins ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner Brad Kennedy as the only player to have won twice in the 2020/21 season.

More to come.

View the final #NSWOpenGolf leaderboard at pga.org.au.

Fresh from his maiden ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia win at the Moonah Links PGA Classic a month ago, Victorian Bryden Macpherson is poised for his second win in as many months as he holds the clubhouse lead at Concord Golf Club after the third round of the Golf Challenge NSW Open.

Should he lift the Kel Nagle Cup on Sunday, Macpherson will have secured his fifth professional win although a host of quality players are within reach and keen to ruin the party.

The 30-year-old winner of the 2011 British Amateur started his third round four adrift of overnight leader Michael Sim, but eight birdies and two bogeys for a round of 6-under 66 left him at -15, a shot clear of freshly-minted professional South Australian Jack Thompson who matched his bogey-free 6-under round playing in just his third professional event.

“I think the course is getting better,” Macpherson said, referring to the biblical rains Sydney endured earlier in the week.

“We are starting to get the hang of the course, and the guys that are playing well are finding their way around it a little easier.”

Our leader is running hot! 🔥 Quality wedge from Bryden Macpherson sets up the birdie as he moves to -16.

Catch all the action from Moving Day at the #NSWOpenGolf on @FOXSportsAUS 507 & @kayosports #NSWOpenGolf @GolfNSW @GolfAust #PGATA #PGAProud pic.twitter.com/Ys6oZDHC5n
— #NSWOpenGolf (@PGAofAustralia) March 27, 2021

Joining Thompson at -14 is Ryde’s Nathan Barbieri, who disrupted an otherwise perfect round with a late bogey on 16 to go with six birdies in his third round 66.

“I did all the right things and shot a really good score,” the 24-year-old said.

“I started how I wanted to knowing I’m a few shots behind, with three birdies through the first six. I made a couple of really good par saves to keep the momentum going (which) was a massive key for this round.”

Asked what the “secret sauce” might be for tomorrow’s round, Barbieri said it would be more of the same.

“Just putting the ball in the right spots, giving myself lots of wedges and going at pins when they are accessible.”

At -13 is Gold Coast’s Dylan Perry, runner-up in the 2018 British Amateur, who shot a flawless six-under 65 to be in sole possession of fourth.

Another shot back is the second round leader Michael Sim, who rattled off 11 pars before a rollercoaster finish left him one-over for his round and in a share of fifth.

Although the leaderboard here at Concord reflects age and experience, the spectre of Elvis Smylie looms quietly in the background.

The 18-year-old provided the day’s highlights with only the ninth albatross in modern PGA Tour of Australasia history – a perfectly struck five-iron from 208m on the par-five eighth – followed by an eagle on 11, four birdies, and four three-putts for the day’s lowest round (-7) to be at -12.

“It was a rollercoaster,” said the 18-year-old of his 64.

“Four three-putts is never great, but the greens were tricky and very fast and I got on the wrong side of pins a couple of times.”

“I can go into the final round now ready for the challenge.”

It was the second albatross of Smylie’s young career, his first came at ninth at Royal Perth Golf Club.

“I just hit an absolute cracking five-iron with a little draw and it was tracking all the way. One of my playing partners said it tracked like a putt. It was kinda cool, my first in a tournament. What a time to do it.”

The fourth and final round of the Golf Challenge NSW Open will begin at 7:30am with the leading group of Macpherson, Thompson and Barbieri to tee off at 11:45am AEDT.

West Australian Michael Sim has sent a not-so-subtle reminder of his prodigious talent as he heads into the weekend at the Golf Challenge NSW Open with a two-shot lead and a serious crack at yet another Open title on Australian shores.

Today he marched up the leaderboard at Concord Golf Club with his typically classic golf, eight birdies and bogey-free for what he thinks might be the first time in his career after 36 holes.

“I got off to a fast start. I drove the green on the first and two-putted (for birdie), then hit close irons on two and three for birdie and made a good birdie on seven out of the bunker when I was just trying to make par,” said Sim, who is now based on the Gold Coast.

“I had it going early, five-under through eight. I was saying to the boys after the practice round that I like the golf course. I like playing tree-lined golf. It’s just been two great days, without a bogey. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before.”

Asked whether he felt confident leading from the front, Sim said: “I’ve been in this position before. I know what to expect, it’s nothing new to me. I’ve played tournament golf for 20 years now so I know what the feelings are going to be like. Once you get past the first couple of holes you settle into the round and hopefully, there’ll be a few more birdies.”

If Sim adds the NSW Open to his Qld PGA (2020) and WA Open (2019), it will have been more than eight years since a New South Welshman last lifted the Kel Nagle Cup. The last to do so was Aron Price who triumphed in 2013.

For those keen on a hometown hero all is not lost.

The challenge is coming from Dale S Williamson who followed his opening 66 with a 65 to be at 11 under and in sole second place. Picton’s Justin Warren had nine birdies and two bogeys for a second round 64 to be three back along with Andrew Martin, the TPS Bonnie Doon winner.

Earlier, Nathan Barbieri (-9), amateur Harrison Crowe (-8), Blake Windred (-7), and another amateur Harry Bolton (-7) all took advantage of the kind morning conditions to cement their spots for the weekend.

Barbieri, the 23-year-old from Ryde backed up his first-round 65 with a solid three-under 68 to be at -9 and very much a contender for final groupings tomorrow unless of course someone masters the afternoon conditions. Not bad for a young player in only his third month as a professional golfer.

“I was treating it like another day,” he said of his solid second round to back up his opening 65.

“There’s a lot of birdies out there and I tried not to get ahead of myself. I’m pretty shocked (by my score) and there’s still the afternoon rounds to come but it’s nice to be in a good position early.”

Asked how the course was holding up after armageddon-level rains during the week, Barbieri said: “I actually can’t give enough credit to the greens staff. It was unbelievable coming out here on Tuesday and seeing how wet it was, thinking we’d be playing preferred lies every day. But it’s slowly getting drier and full credit to them (ground staff) for the job they have done”.

The round of the morning belonged to Harry Bolton, who scorched around the par-70 layout in a seven-under masterclass that only had the one flaw – a lone bogey on the super-tough par-3 16.

Bolton, 24, said a recent alignment change and confident putting were behind his round.

“I’ve found something in my ball striking, through switching up my alignment a few weeks ago and it’s really helped my ball flight,” he said.

“I’ve been hitting it solidly off the tee which helps here, especially if you can keep it out of the trees. The greens are unbelievable and I hit a lot of good putts and most of them went in. That’s always nice.”

Bolton found himself in that rarified air of actually looking forward to putting.

“I dripped one in there on nine from 18 feet,” he said. “I didn’t hit the greatest approach but I was telling my caddie that if I could just hit the greens that I’ve been putting well, so it was nice to get that. With the speed of the greens today your lines and speed have to be bang on.

Further back is amateur Harrison Crowe who shot a five-under round to accompany his opening 68, and another who made some long putts on these tricky Concord greens, to be in a great position for the weekend.

“I started off well, birdieing three of my first four,” said Crowe, a favourite son from St Michael’s Golf Club.

“Then I hit the brakes a bit, but when we turned to the back nine I holed two bombs in a row. A bogey (on the 3rd) and double-bogey (4th) weren’t great but then I backed it up with a couple of birdies and then I birdied the last. It was a bit up and down but still a great feeling.”

Other notable scores came from South Australian Jack Thompson who followed up his opening 66 with a three-under round today of 68 to be at -8.

View the second round leaderboard at pga.org.au.

It has been eight long years since Aron Price lifted the Kel Nagle Cup, the last time a New South Welshman won his home state’s major golf open.

That drought may break again this weekend with a swag of Sydneysiders all in contention midway through the second round of the Golf Challenge NSW Open at Concord.

Leading the charge is Picton’s Justin Warren, who, despite a surprise bogey on the par-five 17th, is the clubhouse leader as the afternoon rounds get underway.

Warren, 25, had nine birdies and two bogeys for a second round 64 to be one-shot ahead of fellow Sydneysider Nathan Barbieri.

In fact, Barbieri (-9), amateur Harrison Crowe (-8), Blake Windred (-7), and another amateur Harry Bolton (-7) all took advantage of the kind morning conditions to cement their spots for the weekend but also give rise to the chance of another Sydneysider finally taking home the coveted Cup.

Barbieri, the 23-year-old from Ryde, backed up his first-round 65 with a solid three-under 68 to be at -9 and very much a contender for final groupings tomorrow unless, of course, someone masters the afternoon conditions. Not bad for a young player in only his third month as a professional golfer.

“I was treating it like another day,” he said of his solid second round to back up his opening 65.

The round of the morning belonged to Canberra’s Harry Bolton. He scorched around the par-70 layout in a seven-under masterclass that only had the one flaw – a lone bogey on the super-tough par-3 16.

Bolton, 24, said a recent alignment change and confident putting were behind his round.

“I’ve found something in my ball striking, through switching up my alignment a few weeks ago and it’s really helped my ball flight,” he said.

Bolton found himself in that rarified air of actually looking forward to putting.

“I dripped one in there on nine from 18 feet,” he said. “I didn’t hit the greatest approach, but I was telling my caddie that if I could just hit the greens that I’ve been putting well, so it was nice to get that. With the speed of the greens today, your lines and speed have to be bang on.

Further back is amateur Harrison Crowe who shot a five-under round to accompany his opening 68, and another who made some long putts on these tricky Concord greens to be in a great position for the weekend.

“I started off well, birdieing three of my first four,” said Crowe, a favourite son from St Michael’s Golf Club.

Other notable scores came from South Australian Jack Thompson, who followed up his opening 66 with a three-under round of 68 to be at -8.

A month ago, Blake Windred (NSW) and Chris Wood (Qld) were neck-deep in the hunt for the Victorian PGA title at Moonah Links.

Back then, Wood, the 33-year-old from Qld won with a late birdie as Windred fell away on the back nine.

Perhaps Winny will have the last laugh here in the Golf Challenge NSW Open; the Novocastrian having carded a sublime 7-under 64 in the opening round.

Lurking at six-under is a group of six golfers, including Wood, who brought his form north to card a six-under 66 to be only one back on a day when more than a dozen players *bettered the course record held by Ewan Porter (67).

Porter will still sleep well tonight with his record intact, with scoring throughout the day aided by ‘clean and place’ rules following the drenching Australia’s East Coast copped right up until the night before the tournament.

The chasing pack also includes veterans Andrew Dodt (Qld) and David Bransdon (Vic), Nathan Barbieri (NSW), Andrew Martin (Qld) and Korean Chang Gi Lee.

Windred scorched around the front nine (his back nine) at Concord in just 31. The round included a sole bogey (the 10th), and despite taking a few holes to ‘get in the groove’, he lit up the rest of the course with eight birdies to be clubhouse leader.

“I’ll take it. Actually, I kind of got lost in the scoring at the end,” said Windred.

“I made a few birdies in and wasn’t sure what I was. It took me the first six holes to really get in a groove, and then I just made the most of it.

“Making birdie putts from long-range definitely helps with the momentum; you feel like you get a cushion there. Once you get the momentum going, golf becomes pretty easy, to be honest.

“The greenkeepers have done an amazing job. It’s almost like there hasn’t been any rain to be honest.”

It was a similar story on Wood’s card, although he went one better on his outward nine, with a bogey-free 30, which included five birdies.

Also at six under are Victorian Andrew Martin and Queenslander Andrew Dodt. They fired 65s in warm early conditions, with light winds and soft greens allowing for some target practise at times, although the greens here – which act as the course’s only protection from the long hitters – are only going to get quicker.

Dodt’s mixed bag included six birdies and two bogeys and a beautiful eagle on seven, “which kind of got my round going”, he said.

“I started pretty well with a couple of birdies, but then I had a couple of bogeys and then that eagle at 7. On the back, I shot two-under which was pretty solid and I’m happy with that.”

One back are Victorians James Marchesani and Bryden McPherson, who fired five-under rounds along with West Australian and former Nationwide Tour winner Michael Sim.

Marchesani was pleased with an early solid score, with the greens expected to get quicker throughout the weekend.

“It should get progressively quicker as the week goes on,” said probably going to get a bit quicker as the weekend said the 30-year-old.

“As the course changes it will be a matter of who adapts the best.”

Sim enjoyed a blemish-free round as well, firing five birdies in his 65. “I got off to a good start,” said the 36-year-old.

“I was out of the gates early,” he said, with birdies on 11, 13 and 15 and two more on his back nine.

“I had a few more chances actually on the second nine … I had like four wedge shots that didn’t get up and down. It definitely felt like I left a few out there.”

Rounding out a bunch golfers at minus five are Sydneysider Dale Williamson, who carded a pair of eagles on the front nine (including the 304m par-four fifth), Queenslander Tim Hart, who finished with just a single bogey in an otherwise excellent round, Daniel Fox, Brad Kennedy, and Jack Thomspon.

The best-placed amateur is West Australian Hayden Hopewell, who carded a round of 4-under 67.

Despite all predictions, this morning that Concord would buckle under the combination of soft greens and fairways, the little gem in Sydney’s inner west kept the morning field honest, although a handful of players could say they had their way.

The clubhouse leaders at -6 are Victorian Andrew Martin and Queenslander Andrew Dodt – who both fired 65s in warm conditions at Concord, with light winds and soft greens allowing for some target practise at times, although the greens here – which act as the course’s only protection from the long hitters – are only going to get quicker.

Dodt’s mixed bag included six birdies and two bogeys, and a beautiful eagle on 7 “which kind of got my round going”, he said.