A chaotic first spherical of Australian Open is finished and dusted with an LIV star on high within the males’s, whereas a forgotten Australian put a poor 12 months behind her to leap out in entrance because the defending champions struggled.
Watch each spherical of the PGA Tour LIVE & Unique on Fox Sports activities, obtainable on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your first month for simply $1. Restricted time supply.
Cameron Smith has been the discuss of the event for his feedback in regards to the course setup, however he backed up his phrases with a powerful displaying within the type of a -6 spherical to sit down two pictures off the lead.
Smith made a blistering begin at Victoria Golf Membership, extremely reeling off six straight birdies after an early bogey on his third gap of the spherical, whereas final weekend’s Australian PGA Champion Elvis Smylie struggled early in the identical group to be +3 earlier than discovering his groove with 4 straight birdies of his personal amongst Smith’s scintillating run to complete -1.
One other Aussie who lit up Victoria is Smith’s Ripper GC teammate Lucas Herbert, who concluded a stellar opening spherical of -8 with an eagle on his final gap to present him the outright lead.
READ MORE
‘Mess is over’: Shark set to be dumped as LIV shuffle paves manner for finish to golf battle… lastly
Smith doubles down on ‘bulls**t excuse’ blow-up as ‘loopy’ Aus Open actuality looms
‘Put his a** on the road’: Aussie weapons reply to Shark axe as LIV stars pay tribute
‘All I’ve needed’: What makes Aus Open’s daring shift particular… and why debate nonetheless simmers
Unique: Prime LIV star opens up on merger as hopes for PGA crossover revealed
Remarkably, Herbert was not completely happy together with his spherical of 63.
“I felt like there was a number of pictures left on the market,” he stated. “I really feel like that with each spherical of golf, to be truthful, however didn’t actually assume I holed that many putts. Simply hit it fairly properly.
“Obtained it into the correct spots. In all probability acquired a few fortunate breaks right here and there the place pictures that perhaps weren’t the very best didn’t get punished.
“So, look, if that’s the worst spherical of the week, I’d be fairly completely happy.”
Keep updated with the stay scores right here >
At Kingston Heath, the afternoon belonged to Hannah Inexperienced.
The Australian is trying to finish the nation’s 10-year drought within the girls’s event after arriving on Wednesday morning and never getting the prospect to play a follow spherical due to Wednesday’s wild storms.
Not that these obstacles, or the jet lag, bothered her.
Inexperienced has received 3 times on the LPGA this season, and confirmed her class with 5 again 9 birdies on her option to -6 to be one shot off the lead.
Earlier within the day, Japanese novice Rintaro Nakano was the toast of the venue which can host the weekend motion.
The 21-year-old carded a -7 spherical of 65 within the first spherical to enter the clubhouse with the lead earlier than Herbert’s late eagle.
Nakano received the Japanese novice final 12 months and sits tied second alongside American Ryggs Johnston.
Australian Su Oh had a troublesome 12 months solely that includes in three LPGA occasions as she solely made roughly $7,000 on the Epson Tour, however is lapping up a return house as she produced a wonderful spherical at Kingston Heath to be -7 and tied for the lead.
“Good factor I like enjoying golf,” Oh stated with amusing when requested about her low earnings for the 12 months.
“I believe I wouldn’t preserve enjoying if I didn’t prefer it. It was fairly robust, however I believe I’m again heading in the right direction with a greater crew round me.”
Oh, who’s a Melbourne native, is the newest Australian golf to hitch the secure of revered Perth-based coach Ritchie Smith – who boasts Hannah Inexperienced, Minjee and Min Woo Lee, in addition to Elvis Smylie amongst his pupils – to strive reignite her profession.
The Olympian from the 2016 Rio Video games is joined on the high of the leaderboard by Korean novice Hyojin Yang who additionally shot -7 in qualifying to earn her place within the area.
Australian LPGA stars Steph Kyriacou is amongst a bunch of gamers three pictures again from the leaders, she performed within the group behind Smith and Smylie at Victoria together with Minjee Lee.
The 2-time main winner had a day to neglect with a +2 spherical of 74.
Lee and Inexperienced flew into Melbourne on the identical flight from America which arrived on Wednesday morning, and the jet lag performed havoc with a 7:11am tee time.
“I’m fairly drained. I used to be yawning rather a lot, it was fairly dangerous,” she stated.
“I wasn’t fairly 100% on.”
PGA Tour fan favorite Harry Higgs began strongly with a -5 spherical, whereas Australians Marc Leishman and Karl Vilips each kicked off their campaigns with -3 rounds.
Min Woo Lee dropped two pictures on the again 9 to complete -1, whereas defending champion Jaoquin Niemann battled in the identical group to be +2 and with loads of work to do on Friday morning to make the reduce.
Within the group behind Niemann, two-time girls’s reigning champion Ashleigh Buhai birdied her final two holes to complete even par.
Australian PGA Tour participant Cam Davis had a poor begin to the event at +2 and he’s joined at that mark by Frenchman Victor Perez.
NOTABLE TEE TIMES – R2
7:00am AEDT, Tee 10, Victoria – Min Woo Lee, Joaquin Niemann, Jordan Smith
7:11am AEDT, Tee 10, Victoria – Grace Kim, Ashleigh Buhai, Hannah Inexperienced
7:22am AEDT, Tee 10, Victoria – Darius van Diel, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, David Micheluzzi
12:05pm AEDT, Tee 1, Kingston Heath – Elvis Smylie, Cameron Smith, Victor Perez
12:11pm AEDT, Tee 10, Victoria – Su Oh, Cassie Porter, Meghan Maclaren
12:16pm AEDT, Tee 1, Kingston Heath – Steph Kyriacou, Minjee Lee, Jiyai Shin
12:27pm AEDT, Tee 1, Kingston Heath – Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, Yannik Paul
12:49pm AEDT, Tee 11, Kingston Heath – Todd Clements, Cameron Davis, Harry Higgs
For the complete record of tee occasions, click on right here!
HOW TO WATCH
Watch all of the Australian Open motion on Kayo and Foxtel, with each large second broadcast on Fox Sports activities channel 503 – which has develop into a devoted Australian Open channel for the week.
Protection begins at 12pm AEDT every day.
FOLLOW ALL THE DAY 1 ACTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN IN THE BLOG BELOW! Can’t see the weblog? Click on right here!