The Kiwi trio of Toomey, Anstiss and Gill have all scored under par to be within sight of the leaders after the first day of the Queensland Open on the Sunshine Coast which saw David Bransdon shoot a course-record.
James Anstiss lead the NZ hopes with a front nine of 4 birdies and a bogey before making par on each of the back nine holes and finishing on 3-under.
Luke Toomey also started in birdie wonderland with birdies on 3, 5 and 8 before two birdies and two bogies on the back nine also finishing with 3-under.
Taylor Gill had a pair of birdies and a pair of bogeys on the front nine before snagging two birdies early on the back nine at 10 and 12 to finish at 2-under.
Nick Voke also started well with 3 birdies in the first six holes but a pair of double bogeys on 8 and 9 pretty much wound his day back. He still finished even after the opening round.
Victorian David Bransdon brushed aside an old golfers’ curse to blow the Isuzu Queensland Open wide open on day one at Pelican Waters.
The veteran carded a spectacular course-record 9-under 63 this morning to grab the early lead of a tournament he has won previously – in 2015 in a playoff at Brookwater, west of Brisbane.
And in doing so, he might well have laid to rest a long-held superstition about touching the tournament’s T.B. Hunter Cup in a pre-event promotion on the Sunshine Coast.
“I don’t like normally doing that, because I’m old and I think it’s bad luck touching it (the trophy) before you play for it,” Bransdon said.
“But I’ve touched it before so maybe it’s a good sign this week.”
The 46-year-old admitted after his round that he thought a score between nine and 13-under might win overall this week at the Caloundra layout.
“(I didn’t think) nine (under) was out there in one day,” the Japan Golf Tour regular said with a cheeky grin.
“I holed a couple of nice putts early and then hit a couple in close … the putter was pretty good all day.”
Bransdon led by two after the morning phase with a couple of youngsters hot on his heels at the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament.
Amateur pair Jack Thompson, of Adelaide, and Josh Armstrong, of Canberra, each had eight birdies and one bogey en route to opening 65s.