Andrew Martin, Lindsay Wilson and Andrew Campbell managed to
tame the Kalgoorlie Golf Course in the first round of the TX Civil and
Logistics WA PGA Championship.

Playing in the morning field, Campbell fired 7-under 67 which was matched by Martin and Wilson in the afternoon.

The leading trios score cards all free of bogeys.  

Getting off to a solid start was the secret for Campbell, who surprised even himself with his flawless round.

"I surprised myself a little I guess. It’s a difficult golf course and there was a bit of wind out there," said Campbell.

"I was feeling good early, got a few birdies and held it together. I was pretty solid all day. I hit a lot of good iron shots but nothing that really stands out at the moment."

"I am just really happy to shoot a score like that and get off to a good start this week."

Switching back to his old equipment, Martin came out firing with his round highlighted by an early eagle.

"I got off to a good start and chipped in for eagle on the second. I birdied the next, then on the par-3 4^th I hit the flag on the fly but I got away with a par," said Martin.

"Last year was a bit of a battle. I didn’t feel like I was playing that badly but I went back to all my old equipment and it’s starting to pay off."

Wilson meanwhile put his perfect round down to solid ball striking.

"It was a fun day on the golf course today. Today I hit a couple really close and made some easy birdies, I just kept it together. I think I hit 15 greens in regulation and a couple of the par-5’s in two," said Wilson. 

"I hit it really well off the tee and that helps on this course. I hit driver pretty much everywhere and it made the course a lot shorter. I was able to hit wedges into close distances so I made some easy birdies that way."

Wilson has shown promise in his rookie year on Tour, recently he lead the South Pacific Export Radler PNG Open where he eventually finished tied 11^th.

"It’s just a matter of being a little smarter, when you are in trouble just taking a par instead of trying to make a birdie every time," said Wilson of the lessons learned in Port Moresby.

"I will still play my game, play aggressively and try to make birdies on most of the holes but maybe I learned a little from PNG and will try and play a little smarter on some holes."

Both Martin and Campbell are happy to see their names at the top of the leaderboard after they failed to keep their PGA Tour of Australasia cards at the end of last season.

"I didn’t  think last year was that bad, I didn’t keep my card so it wasn’t good," said Martin.

"But personally I thought I played alright, it was just sloppy and I missed a few cuts."

While for Campbell 2015 was a learning curve on Tour, "Last year was my first season having status and playing the Tour. It took some time to get to know it."

"This year I am feeling a lot more comfortable out here and confident in my game. I know that I can compete with these guys if I play my game like I did today," continued Campbell.

"This is where I want to be playing and I want to try and get my status back for next year."

A win this week at the TX Civil and Logistics WA PGA Championship is top of mind for Martin with the champion guaranteed full exemption until the end of 2017.

"I’m in a different boat this year, second isn’t really going to do anything for me, I don’t have any status," added Martin who has played on Tour since 2006.

"So I have nothing to lose now. I can have a go at things and not worry about finishing second. My year is only going to change if I win."

"Hopefully I can continue the week and play smart and aggressive, nothing stupid, just play my game."

Two shots off the lead are Deyen Lawson, William Gunn and Nathan Millar.

Rounding out the top-10 on 3-under the card are Aaron Pike, Jake McLeod, Peter Cooke, Daniel Hoeve, David Stoltze, Anthony Houston and Adam Stephens.

The second round of the TX Civil and Logistics WA PGA Championship tees off at 7am with Martin on course at 7.10am, Wilson at 7.50am and Campbell at 12.10pm.