Gary Hurley has his work cut out to make it to the weekend at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open after an opening 72 leaves him tied for 95th at +1.
Playing on the Victoria Course on day one, the Waterford man began on the 10th and carded eight consecutive pars to start before moving into red figures with a birdie on the 18th. Seven more pars followed on the front side, but, back-to-back bogeys on four and five saw him slip back the wrong side of par and he finds himself two shots off the cut mark.
Lucas Herbert saved his best until last as he fired a bogey-free 63 to lead by a single shot after day one.
Also starting from the 10th tee at Victoria Golf Club on Thursday, home favourite Herbert turned in 32 courtesy of birdies on the 13th, 15th, 17th and 18th.
The 28-year-old made further gains on the first and sixth before holing his eagle putt on the last to reach eight-under-par.
American Ryggs Johnston – who gained his card for the 2025 Race to Dubai via Q School – and Japanese amateur Rintaro Nakano were in a tie for second on seven-under after each carding 65s at Kingston Heath Golf Club, the other host course this week.
In-form Herbert claimed the NSW Open title on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia two weeks ago, and began his round on Melbourne’s famed Sandbelt region with three successive pars before opening his birdie account from tap-in range at the 13th following a stunning approach shot.
He almost pitched in for an eagle on the 15th but instead had to settle for a close-range birdie before reeling off a hat-trick of gains at the 17th, 18th and first.
And after yet more impressive ball striking set up another birdie at the sixth, Herbert – whose most recent DP World Tour win came at the 2023 ISPS HANDA – Championship in Japan – closed his round with an eagle from around 10 feet to storm to the summit.
“I slightly pulled my tee shot just down the left (on the ninth, his last). Kind of got a little lucky it didn’t bounce and get into that thicker stuff, so I still had a shot. It felt like I was in between clubs so I had to sort of squeeze it, a three-wood up there, but still turn it right to left, which was going to be tricky and I didn’t think I turned it enough,” said Herbert.
“I thought I hit the right bunker and looked up in the hill, people were clapping so I figured I at least hit the green somewhere, maybe rolled over the back and I might be able to make four. But to proceed up there pretty close and then to roll it in for the eagle, just put a nice finish on the end of that round.
“I felt like there were a lot of shots left out there. I feel like that with every round of golf, to be fair, but didn’t really think I holed that many putts. Just hit it quite nicely. Got it into the right spots. Probably got a couple of lucky breaks here and there where shots that maybe weren’t the best didn’t get punished the way they could have.
“So, look, if that’s the worst round of the week, I’d be pretty happy, but I would suggest that’s probably not going to be the worst round of the week. You’ve just got to take your luck when you get it. There are days where you can play really well and just nothing goes for you. So yeah, I’m going to be happy with that.”
European Challenge Tour graduate Oliver Lindell is at six-under-par alongside Cameron Smith, Jordan Gumberg and Kazuma Kobori, following their exploits at Victoria Golf Club.
English pair Matt Southgate and Marco Penge, American Harry Higgs, MK Kim of Korea, Italian Filippo Celli and Australia’s Harrison Crowe are then a shot further back.
This week’s event incorporates three tournaments – the men’s and women’s Australian Opens and the Australian All Abilities Championship.
In the women’s event, Australia’s Su Oh and Hyojin Yang of Korea share a one-shot lead after recording seven under par rounds at Kingston Heath and Victoria respectively. World Number One Kipp Popert of England shares the lead with Korea’s Simon Seungmin Lee at one under par in the Australian All Abilities Championship.
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