Admitting that losing a lunch bet to Lee is probably a more significant financial loss than the other way round, Hopewell is well placed to improve his Australian Open record that includes a T-10 last year.
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.
Adopting a more aggressive approach to course management appears to have Adam Scott trending in the right direction as he aims for a second Australian Open to break a three-year winning drought.
The 47-year-old Californian pro is at the ISPS Handa Australian Open in Sydney this week as an invited guest of Golf Australia and the PGA Tour of Australasia after he made similar appearances across Europe and in the Middle East.
The 2023 event will feature the continuation of the joint tournament format that will allow fans to see some of the best men and women golfers playing for different titles on the same course at the same time.