A winner by two strokes at Yarram Golf Club on Sunday, Michel made birdie at three of his opening four holes to put the rest of the field on notice.

He added an eagle at the par-5 fifth and birdies at eight and 10 but bogeys at two of his final three holes saw him drop back to five-under 67 and level with Ferguson and Hawkes.

Eyeing off a third straight win in the Gippsland region at Trafalgar on Tuesday, Michel said he fell foul of the tricky nature of the Maffra layout.

“I haven’t been here before and didn’t know what to expect so I was pleasantly surprised how good it is,” Michel said.

“There are a few tricky holes and if you don’t know exactly where you’re going it can catch you out.”

Like Michel, it was a second Gippsland win in short order for Ferguson.

The WA native was victorious at the Gippsland BMW Warragul Country Club Pro-Am little more than a week ago and hopes to take his pro-am form into the second half of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season.

“I like the Gippsland courses it seems. I’ve had a few of my better results here,” said Ferguson, who was runner-up at the WA PGA Championship at Kalgoorlie.

“I’ve never seen the course before but I got to play with Tiger and Jock and they gave me a few good lines.

“Hopefully I can keep finding some form and peak for the TPS events.”

Hawkes was making his first start of 2023 after a mishap on his journey across the Tasman.

A midnight departure on the Spirit of Tasmania meant that Hawkes missed the Yarram Pro-Am, making up for lost time with six birdies and one bogey in his round of 67.

“Unfortunately I missed yesterday but that extra day off might have been the extra motivation I needed to get it done today,” said the 2018 Vic Open champion.

“I’ve never seen the golf course before but I got a pretty good guide from the ‘ams’ (amateurs).

“It’s right up there as one of the better courses that Greater Gippsland has to offer. A lot of the metro courses all around Australian would love these fairways, they’re incredible condition.

“It’s a testament to the community and how much they support their club.”

In a tight leaderboard there was a four-way tie for fourth between David Bransdon, Andrew Kelly, Matthew Portelli and Kris Mueck at four-under 68.

The next event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series schedule is the Community Bank Trafalgar and District Pro-Am at Trafalgar Golf Club on Tuesday.

Click here for final scores and prize money.