The Australian plies his trade at home and in Asia, and although he has plenty of experience in co-sanctioned events, he’s made just three starts in the last four and a bit seasons. In total he has just two top ten finishes at this level in 54 goes. Enough of the bad news. Much better is that he won last November’s New South Wales Open and was T6 in last week’s Victorian Open. A man in form, therefore, and he proved it Thursday. He gained an early shot at 2, but gave it back at 5. From the 9th it was all fun though: a birdie-3 there got the train running, he added two more at 11 and 12, a fourth at 15 and a last on 18. He took lunch T2 in the clubhouse, one behind early leader Brett Rumford.
