A lesson in wedge-game wizardry from former world No 16 Nick O’Hern has propelled Austin Bautista to a two-shot lead on day one of the New Zealand PGA Championship.
The immaculately presented Hastings Golf Club was buffeted by wind and showers on a cool Thursday in Bridge Pa, yet Bautista got off to a hot start with a seven-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead.
LATEST HEADLINES:
PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit hopeful Anthony Quayle continued his run of good form with a five-under 67 to sit in second spot alongside 16-year-old NZ amateur champion Cooper Moore, fellow New Zealander Chang Gi Lee and Australians Andrew Evans and Kyle Michel.
Three-under through five holes with four birdies and his only bogey of the day, two-time PGA Tour of Australasia winner Bautista birdied three of the four par-threes, his best coming at the 179-metre eighth when he hit six iron directly into the teeth of the wind to 15 feet.
The New South Welshman shot three-under on the back-nine with birdies at the 11th, 12th and 16th, revealing that a pro-am pairing with O’Hern at the Vic Open highlighted the area of his game that needed extra attention.
“He said he was rusty, but he was putting his wedges inside of mine consistently from 100 (metres) in,” said Bautista.“I can admit it when I need to get better in an area, so I asked him what I needed to work on.
“He very generously gave me a call to really hone in on improving that area from 125 and in. And it was night and day. I immediately saw improvement and immediately saw how to practice the correct way.
“Nick said, ‘If you’re going to beat the best, you need to be world-class in this area’. He really helped me in what I need to work on so I can consistently put the ball close to the hole with the scoring clubs.”
With five top-five finishes this season, Quayle is again poised to add to his wins at the 2020 Queensland Open and 2022 Queensland PGA. He shot five-under in the morning wave and was joined late by Evans, Moore and Michel two shots off the lead.
Hailing from Christchurch, Moore continues to impress. Second at The R&A Junior Open in Scotland last July, Moore only just missed the cut in his New Zealand Open debut a week ago and closed with three birdies in his final five holes on Thursday to sit two back of Bautista.
Moore became the second-youngest winner in NZ Amateur history last November. The youngest, Queenslander and 2023 NZ PGA champion Louis Dobbelaar, is one of six players at four-under par.
Lee made seven birdies and two bogeys, including three birdies on a bogey-free front-nine and three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back-nine.
The group at four-under also includes Kiwis Mark Brown and Cameron Harlock. Veteran Brown had five birdies and a bogey, while Harlock went bogey-free, with all his birdies coming on the back-nine.