The Royal Queensland course staff have performed a minor miracle, we have got a long-awaited break in the weather and play has begun on time.

A million reasons

You’re going to want to be at the Dabble Party Hole this afternoon. With fans to share in a million dollars for a hole-in-one during the broadcast window, players are peppering the flags. Kiwi lefty Sam Jones just hit it tight to 12 inches and in the following group, Tasmanian Simon Hawkes has done similar to 16 inches. This 125m of party fun is getting LOUDER.

Eagle alert!

Lucas Herbert has entered the chat. After a birdie on six the NSW Open champion has made eagle on seven and now trails leader Matthew Southgate by two.

Fun with flags.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Matthew Southgate -7
🇪🇸 Ivan Cantero -6
🇦🇺 Elvis Smylie -6
🇨🇭 Joel Girrbach -5
🇦🇺 Matias Sanchez -5
🇫🇷 Victor Perez -4
🇳🇿 Kazuma Kobori -4
🇵🇹 Ricardo Gouveia -4

Live scores: https://t.co/tb6db0DkVO#AusPGA | @visitbrisbane | @bmwau

— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) November 23, 2024

New name on top

A fourth consecutive birdie and Matthew Southgate is the outright leader at 7-under-par. Southgate has limited status on the DP World Tour this season after failing to keep his card and finishing 54th at Final Stage of Q School. A win at RQ could fix that.

Shout out to the @RQGOLF staff who have the course in great shape despite more water falling than Noah saw from the arc. #auspga @DPWorldTour @PGAofAustralia pic.twitter.com/9fCUp5HHGJ

— Paul Prendergast (@paulprendo) November 22, 2024

Southgate heading north

Three straight birdies and Englishman Matthew Southgate has a share of the lead. Three-under at the start of the day’s play, Southgate opened with five straight pars but has gotten hot as he approaches the turn to join Elvis Smylie at 6-under. There is currently a four-way tie for third between Victorian Matias Sanchez, Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia, Spaniard Ivan Cantero and Switzerland’s Joel Girrbach, all at 5-under.

Tapio pulling in right direction

Playing his first DP World Tour event since getting his card back via the Challenge Tour this year, Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen has played the front nine in 2-under to draw within two of the lead. Pulkkanen represented Finland at the Paris Olympics in August where he finished tied for 35th.

“I haven’t played a Major yet, so it was great to test myself against the best players in the world and they were so impressive. I was able to see how they approach the game on and off the course and it is always helpful to be in that environment.”

Todd’s wild ride

American Todd Clements played the back nine in 2-under this morning. It consisted of three bogeys, an eagle, three birdies and two pars, such as this one on 18. Proving once again there is more than one way to shoot 2-under.

Pack mentality

This leaderboard is a bigger logjam than a beaver building convention. With the afternoon groups 2.5 hours from teeing off, there are currently 37 players within three shots of leader Elvis Smylie’s score of 6-under-par.

Cutting edge

Spain’s Ivan Cantero is playing his 27th event of the year and has missed 17 cuts. After birdie at the par-4 sixth he has moved to 5-under and is now in a share of second just one shot off the lead. His best finish on the DP World Tour is a tie for third at the ISPS HANDA Championship in Japan in April and he finished 99th on the Race to Dubai Ranking to keep his card for 2025.

You’re telling us there’s a chance

We might be in for something special later this afternoon if Cam Davis’s tee shot at the Dabble Party Hole is anything to go by. The two-time PGA TOUR winner had the crowd on its feet with a shot to just six inches. If anyone can do better than that and make a hole-in-one during the TV broadcast window from 11am local time, fans who register will share in $1 million.

Here come the Kiwis

The super group might tee off at 11:10am but there is one group going super this morning. Kiwi pair Daniel Hillier (-3, pictured) and reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner Kazuma Kobori (-2) have climbed into a tie for third, two strokes back of Elvis Smylie. Starting from the 10th tee, Hillier had three birdies in his first four holes while Kobori gave the Dabble Party Hole an early injection of energy with a birdie on 17.

Tempting 12th under attack

It’s an all-out assault on the short 12th today. Jake McLeod (below) has made birdie after taking 3-wood off the tee while Matthew Griffin had an eagle putt from inside three metres after driving the green. The Victorian had to settle for a two-putt birdie but is now in red figures at 1-under.

Get to know… Cristobal Del Solar

As he begins his second round at 5-under and tied for second, here are some things you may not know about Chilean Cristobal Del Solar:
– He owns the record for lowest round ever recorded in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event. Del Solar shot 13-under 57 in Round 1 of the Astara Golf Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour in February. He made the turn in 8-under 27, tying the low nine-hole score in Korn Ferry Tour history.
– He wrapped up a 2025 PGA TOUR card with a win at The Ascendant in July.
– He joins Benjamin Alvarado Mito Pereira as one of three Chileans to earn a PGA TOUR card through the Korn Ferry Tour.

Herbie goes bang

An aggressive play off the tee at the beguiling par-4 12th sets up birdie for Lucas Herbert to move to 1-under for the tournament. As Davis and Perez both make par, Herbert’s bold play at the 292-metre tempter leaves him a chip which he stumps to a foot for a settling birdie early.

Right where he left off

Solid start from Victorian Matias Sanchez who opens with consecutive pars. It was on the front nine on Thursday in the worst of the conditions where he made his move, playing the front nine in an extraordinary 6-under 30. Sanchez is another of the young brigade making their name on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, finishing tied for ninth at the WA PGA Championship and fourth at the WA Open.

Perez drops back

After a day of waiting, the 443-metre par-4 10th is the toughest way to resume your championship. In the marquee morning group, Cam Davis recovers from a wayward tee shot to make par but Victor Perez drops a shot after finding the greenside trap with his approach shot and is unable to make par.

The news doesn’t get any better at the par-3 11th. After missing the green right with his tee shot, he played a sound chip to four feet but misses the putt for par. That’s a sour bogey-bogey start to drop to 3-under.

Kiwi Daniel Hillier is the early mover on course, two birdies in his opening three holes and he joins the logjam at 3-under and just three shots off the lead.

Catch all the action from the @BMWAU Australian PGA Championship from the comfort of your couch 📺

Every round live from 12-5pm (AEDT) on @WWOS and @FoxSportsAUS, available @KayoSports.

— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) November 21, 2024

Super Saturday

Kids Day activations, 156 players on course, a BMW up for grabs for a hole-in-one and a Dabble Million Dollar Hole-in-One at the Party Hole to be shared amongst the fans who register… It’s a Super Saturday all right.

The marquee group of Victor Perez, Lucas Herbert and Cam Davis are about to tee off on 10 and, later this morning, Cameron Smith, Jason Day and Min Woo Lee will be back out on course, teeing off at 11:10am local time on the first tee.

It feels like it has been a long time coming but let’s play some golf!

We are all good for round 2 to start at 6am 😀 #AusPGA @DPWorldTour pic.twitter.com/TJRV3sBzuO

— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) November 22, 2024