[PHOTO: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images]
Former winner Cameron Davis, 16-year-old schoolgirl Rachel Lee and all-abilities champion Cameron Pollard sit atop the leaderboard, spearheading the local challenge to reclaim the three Australian Open titles swept by foreigners a year ago.
Davis, 28, took advantage of local knowledge, an early tee-time, benign conditions and preferred lies to shoot a scintillating nine-under 63 at The Lakes Golf Club. Teeing off at the 10th, the Sydneysider turned in six-under 31 and added three more birdies on the way home.
Six of the leading eight men’s scores came at the par-72 Lakes, which is co-hosting the Open. Davis leads American Patrick Rodgers (eight-under 64), while Scotland’s Connor Syme (64) and West Australian Hayden Hopewell (65) are at seven-under par. Syme carded the low round on the par-71 layout at The Australian.
In the morning at the Lakes, newly crowned Australian PGA champion Min Woo Lee shot a bogey-free five-under 67 while Ripper GC teammates Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman both carded one-under 71s. Smith’s round included two balls in the water on the 11th and 14th holes.
In the afternoon at The Australian, two-time former champion Aaron Baddeley fired a four-under 67 in tricky, blustery conditions. Matt Jones shot an impressive two-under 69 after suffering a two-stroke penalty on the first hole and a bogey at the second. Former champion Adam Scott shot an even-par 71 while defending men’s champion Adrian Meronk from Poland carded a two-over 73.
The contrasting course set-ups has been a major talking point heading into Open week. Davis will play his remaining three rounds at The Australian Golf Club, which has firmer Santa Ana couch fairways (cut at 6mm) and slicker A1/A4 bentgrass mix greens (2.5mm). The Lakes has kikuyu fairways (10mm) and A4 bent greens (3mm).
“I know this place relatively well, so I felt like I had plenty of good memories in the bank to go out and play the course with,” Davis said. “That’s by far the cleanest round I’ve ever had around here. And without the wind it was awesome to make the most of the conditions the way they were.
“It’s a different golf course, different grass, probably different conditions as well for the rest of the week. So you’ve just got to start all over again pretty much and try and find your rhythm.”
Teenage amateur Rachel Lee shot a five-under 67 in the morning at The Lakes to share the Women’s Australian Open lead with American Jenny Shin who carded a flawless six-under 66 at The Australian in the afternoon.
Korea’s Jiyai Shin (68) is at five-under while South Africa’s defending champion Ashleigh Buhai (68) and Sydneysider Steph Kyriacou (69) are four-under. Tournament favourite and world No.5 Minjee Lee fired a three-under 70 in the morning at The Lakes where Rachel Lee stole the limelight from her namesake.
Rachel Lee was a Monday qualifier into the Open at Ryde-Parramatta. However, the member at Sydney’s Avondale Golf Club revealed that she almost missed her tee-time on Thursday.
“I was putting and then my coach (Steve McRae) just said, ‘Rachel, you’re on the tee.’ So I just ran for my life,” Lee said. “I thought I was at 8.38 not 8.28 and I’ve learnt my lesson. So I won’t do that again, hopefully.”
Lee benefitted from a practice round with two-time major champion Jiyai Shin prior to the tournament. “She was telling me to challenge myself and shape shots, I used them quite a fair bit today and it worked out really well.”
Ayaka Sugihara scored the first ace of the tournament when the Japanese holed a 7-iron from 144 metres on the 11th hole at The Australian. The first successful player to ace the 15th hole on the weekend wins a BMW i5 motor vehicle. The first on the 11th receives a TAG Heuer Connected Golf watch.
Pollard, from Coffs Harbour, shares the lead in the All Abilities tournament with Italian Tommaso Perrino. Queensland’s Lachlan Wood (71) is outright third while defending champion Kipp Popert from England is six strokes from the lead.
Pollard is a three-time NSW Inclusive champion who has managed autism and Eblers Danlos Syndrome, a disorder that affects connective tissues (skin, joints and blood vessel walls). His two-under 69 included five birdies and an eagle 3 at the 492-metre fifth at The Australian.
It marked 33 years to the day since Greg Norman recorded an albatross on the same hole when he holed a 3-wood during the 1990 Australian Open.
FULL AUSTRALIAN OPEN COVERAGE HERE
