– The Royal Melbourne returned with a vengeance. The 34 years since the last visit of the Open de Australia to its grounds have sparked a strong reaction. The first day of this second stop of the DP World Tour season has been tough, very tough, at times even cruel. The wind has blown fiercely, with gusts reaching 50 kilometres per hour and sustained winds between 30 and 35. A lot of wind. A lot of indecision. A lot of uncertainty in shot selection. It wasn’t a day of survival, but almost. You had to play well and have a bit of luck.
– The debut of the Crown Australian Open has placed three leaders at the top. All of them at -6. They are Australian Elvis Smylie, New Zealander Ryan Fox, and Mexican Carlos Ortiz. Whenever the wind blows, you’ll see Fox in the leading positions. He’s a magician. If he weren’t a golfer, he could well be signed as a tactician for the Emirates Team New Zealand for the next defence of the America’s Cup in 2027. The lad made eight birdies, more than anyone else this Thursday at Royal Melbourne.
– Two shots behind the leaders are Danish Rasmus Neergaard Petersen (-4), eager to earn points in the Race to Dubai before embarking on the PGA Tour adventure, French Clement Charmasson (-4), and Scottish Cameron Adam (-4). When it comes to wind, they know a thing or two in Scotland.
– The Armada had a less buoyant start than last week at the sibling Australian PGA Championship, but it’s not bad either. Josele Ballester (-2) and Rafa Cabrera Bello (-2) have positioned themselves on the brink of the top 10, within reach of everything that can be achieved this week. You need to have a fine and solid game to play under par in today’s gusty conditions in Australia. Josele’s round is yet another indication that he is undoubtedly going through the most consistent golfing phase of his career. The Castellón native made three birdies and, above all, just one bogey. No one escaped without errors today, so no one did better than Josele in this regard. Meanwhile, Rafa shows that his golf remains as reliable as in the last months of the previous season. The Canary Islander was three under par with three holes to go.
El Open de Australia ya echaba de menos a Rory y al Royal Melbourne…
– It’s not a bad start either, by any means, the PAR rounds of Quim Vidal and Rocco Repetto. The Malaga native was two under, like Rafa and Josele, but encountered two bogeys on holes 13 and 15. In any case, his mark as a powerful player remains with that birdie on the 10th hole, the most difficult of the day by far at Royal Melbourne. Only five birdies were made all day. Rory McIlroy (+1) also made one.
– From here, Sebas García‘s +1 is just inside the cut, and the +2 of Adri Arnaus and +3 of David Puig are not insurmountable. It’s time to row, but without anguish. There’s room. Puig, who came from winning last week, hasn’t quite found comfort with the wind, at times even appearing desperate, out of control. Despite everything, he managed to finish with a good birdie on the 17th, which always helps to see things differently. It could well be the start of a comeback.
– As already noted, Rory McIlroy (+1) didn’t have the best start. He missed some very short putts that hurt on days like today, where you feel you can’t make any concessions. Be that as it may, he has plenty of space and time to still get into the fight to win on Sunday.
– At the top, some important names have emerged, especially from the prolific local scene: the brilliant New Zealander Daniel Hillier (-3), the reliable Adam Scott (-2), the popular Min Woo Lee (-2), the veteran Richard Green (-2), Colombian Sebastián Muñoz (-2), or the powerful Cameron Davis (-2). Cameron Smith (-1), at least, managed to play under par, although his real test will be tomorrow to see if he can make his first cut in 2025.
