Gary Hurley
Australia’s Elvis Smylie fired a six under 65 to take the first round lead in the BMW Australian PGA Championship at a rain-soaked Royal Queensland Golf Club.
Smylie made eight birdies to lead by a shot from French duo Victor Perez and Joel Girrbach, Australia’s Matias Sanchez and Chile’s Cristobal Del Solar.
Eight players were tied for sixth on four-under but Ireland’s Gary Hurley has his work cut out to make the cut.
The West Waterford man made three bogeys in a three-over 74 to share 130th.
“It’s a home game for me this week,” said Smylie, who holed out from a bunker for a closing birdie at the ninth.
“I’m from the Gold Coast, it’s only an hour’s drive. I’ve played a lot of golf here. I’m quite familiar with the course and every part of my game’s really good at the moment.
“I’m really comfortable with what I’m doing. The greens are amazing considering after all the rain, so kudos to the greenkeepers.”
Smylie outshone a big group of Australian stars in an event co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
Former PGA champion Jason Day was tied on four-under with fellow Australians Cam Smith, Marc Leishman, Ben Eccles and David Micheluzzi.
Two-time DP World Tour winner Jordan Smith, who was edged out for a PGA Tour card by Tom McKibbin on Sunday, was also in the group on four-under with Spain’s Ivan Cantero and South African Aldrich Potgieter.
Defending champion Min Woo Lee and European Challenge Tour number one Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen were in an 18-man logjam at three under.