Blue skies but cool conditions welcomed players to Kalgoorlie Golf Course for the first event of the new ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season with Sanchez’s morning round of six-under 66 standing tall at day’s end.

Queensland pair Tim Hart and Lawry Flynn, Victorians Brett Coletta and Jack Murdoch and Sydney amateur sensation Jeffrey Guan are one back following rounds of five-under 67 with a further five players two strokes back at three-under.

Beginning the tournament from the 10th tee on Thursday morning, Sanchez turned in two-under thanks to birdies at 11, 12 and 18 but he roared to the front of the pack with a brilliant finish.

He holed out from 87 yards for eagle at the par-4 third and then closed his round with birdie from 13-feet at the par-3 eighth and another from 10 feet at the par-4 ninth to edge one clear.

But with the iconic desert landscape lapping at the edges of the fairways, it was a decision with coach Tim Wendel (Waverley Golf Club) to throttle back off the tee that has put Sanchez in pole position.

“It’s funny, in the F1 they talk about when it’s wet, to keep it on the black stuff. My coach this week just said to keep it on the green stuff,” Sanchez revealed.

“That’s literally all I was thinking.

“I hit a lot of 3-woods today and it’s just laying back on a few holes and being aggressive on certain holes, but only where it’s wide enough where you can hit it to that spot.”

A switch in putters from a Scotty Cameron 009 to a shorter Newport blade also paid dividends on Thursday, setting him up for a shot at a maiden professional win.

“I try not to have expectations to be honest,” Sanchez said of his pre-round expectations.

“There’s no ceiling; you just want to do the best that you can.

“The aim is to win but if that’s not the case it’s play as good as golf as possible. That was the aim for me today.”

One of Sanchez’s nearest challengers is also chasing a win that would elevate him into a higher echelon.

Queensland’s Tim Hart has defied a painful rib injury to post an opening 5-under-par 67 to lead the morning wave at the #WAPGA. pic.twitter.com/b17Gw3p2hN

— #WAPGA | PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) October 13, 2022

Tim Hart has been a prolific winner on the pro-am circuit for a number of years but has been working with coach Richard Woodhouse on transferring that to 72-hole tour events.

He narrowly missed out on advancing to Second Stage of Korn Ferry Q School and woke up on Thursday morning unsure whether a rib injury would prevent him from playing.

After a slight slip-up at the par-4 fifth he rebounded with birdies at six, seven, nine, 11, 16 and 18 and in the process may have unlocked the key to more consistent scoring.

“It’s painful but I’ll push through,” said Hart, who two-putted from the top tier of the dramatic 18th green for his final birdie of the day.

“I slowed my swing down and shot five-under so maybe that’s the secret.

“I had to. I didn’t have the choice to go after it so I took a few 2-irons where I would normally use driver.

“Maybe that’s the way I’ve got to play from now on in the four-rounders.”

Murdoch used a string of four straight birdies around the turn as the backbone of his round of 67 as he makes his way back from a shoulder injury.

He missed the first half of 2021 due to tendonitis in his left shoulder, a cortisone injection and four months spent playing Call of Duty on PC the remedy to get his golf back on track.

Murdoch earned his card back at Q School in June and could have gone even lower on day one after near misses on each of his final three holes.

“Definitely gave myself plenty of chances which is good,” he said.

“It all evens out in the end but it would have been nice to make a few more coming in but it wasn’t to be.

“I played OK at Q School and got through which is the main thing and it’s just nice to be able to play a schedule again.”

Flynn, Coletta and Guan all joined the logjam at the top of the leaderboard late on Thursday, Flynn finishing with three straight birdies at 16, 17 and 18 while Guan showed maturity belying his age to recover after four-putting the first.

That double bogey was his only mis-step all day, hitting 18 greens in regulation and leaving playing partners Jack Thompson and Josh Armstrong in awe.

Coletta has limited status after he contracted COVID-19 during Q School in June and knows his way back to the top level is by winning as soon as possible.

“I’m here just to win,” said Coletta, who began his round with three birdies on the trot.

“I’m in a random category so I’m just lucky to get starts at the moment. Try and make the most of it.

“I played really well all day. I couldn’t have played much better to be honest.

“I hit a few errant ones off the tee and ended up in the dust but my recovery was just unbelievable.

“I’m not shocked but I’m happy with my score, let’s put it that way. I don’t want it back.”

It was a strong start too for the contingent of WA amateurs with an eye on the professional ranks.

St Andrews Links Trophy runner-up Adam Brady held a share of the lead for much of the morning before two late dropped shots saw him sign for a round of two-under 70.

That is one clear of both Hayden Hopewell (71) and Joshua Greer (71) with Joseph Buttress (72) a further shot back.

Kalgoorlie local Connor Fewkes had two eagles in his first nine holes but also had two double bogeys and four bogeys in a round of three-over 75.

Defending champion Jay Mackenzie finds himself eight strokes from the lead after Round 1, his round of two-over 74 putting him in a share of 47th position.

The tournament lost one of its major drawcards before the afternoon groups teed off, two-time European Tour winner Andrew Dodt forced to withdraw with a back injury.