Nov 22,2024
Australia's Elvis Smylie holed out from a bunker on his final hole to claim a narrow lead after the first round of the BMW Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane.
Smylie, 22, carded an opening six-under-par 65 at a rain-soaked Royal Queensland to finish six under par, a shot ahead of compatriot Matias Sanchez, France’s Victor Perez, Switzerland’s Joel Girrbach and Chile’s Cristobal Del Solar.
Three-time winner Cameron Smith, the 2022 Open champion, was part of an eight-strong group on four under par which includes former world number one Jason Day.
Smylie, who started from the 10th, was three under for his round until picking up shots on the sixth, seventh and par-five ninth.
"I hit a really good second shot (on the last) actually, just flared a little bit into that green-side trap," Smylie, whose parents Liz and Peter are former professional tennis players, said.
"I had a little bit of room to work with the bunker shot, but I got it a bit fat and ended up going into the bunker ahead of me and then I holed the next one.
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"So I technically didn’t touch the green and I made four, which is a good way to finish and lots of positives out of the day.
"It’s a home game for me this week. 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.
"It’s great having all the Aussies back home and supporting the Australian tournaments. And it’s great to compete against them because ultimately I want to be in their shoes and do what they’re doing in their career.
"It’s great for me to be able to compare my game against theirs and see what areas I need to improve on."
Defending champion Min Woo Lee is three shots off the pace after an opening 68.
Gary Hurley is the only Irish player involved but he faces an uphill task to make the cut after shooting 74 to finish on three over par. Hurley hit bogeys on the third and eighth holes, before adding another on 16 to end the day a tie for 130th in the 156-man field.
