– The first round of the BMW Australian PGA Championship could not be completed due to a fierce spring-summer storm that hit the Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane. Until the suspension, one player stood out above the rest, the Spaniard Sebas García (-7), who is the provisional leader with a two-shot advantage over his closest pursuer, the Australian Daniel Gale (-5), with three holes still to play to complete his round at the 9th hole, two of which are par 5s (7 and 9). Additionally, he still has to play the 8th hole, a par 3 of about 180 metres, which today has been played as one of the most challenging on the course.
– Sebas has shone in all areas of the game (seven birdies in fifteen holes say it all), but above all, he has been very accurate and timely with the putter in hand, improving on the game performance with which he ended his season on the HotelPlanner Tour, where he achieved up to three top 5 finishes in his last five tournaments, including a victory at the Hangzhou Open in China, which definitively secured his promotion to the first division. According to Spanish peninsular time, it will be today, Thursday, from nine in the evening, when the Madrid native completes this fabulous first round on Australian soil.
– The fact is that Spanish golf has been a protagonist at the start of the 2026 DP World Tour season, as in addition to Sebas, Josele Ballester (-3) and David Puig (-3) already appear within the top ten, both with their rounds already completed and each recording 68 strokes on this par 71 Australian course.
– Each in their own way: Puig has shown great order from tee to green (16/18 greens in regulation) and only lacked a bit more accuracy with the putt to have blown the course away. As for Ballester, he struggled on the four par 3s of the course, but fought well through the round and finished at the 9th hole, a par 5, reaching the green in two with a notable 3-iron and securing that late birdie that leaves such a good taste. Josele comes from a win in Riyadh and seems well-positioned to make another impact.
– With the round already finished, we have several favourites positioned at the top of the leaderboard, who will surely be among the final contenders for victory. This includes Ryan Fox (-4), Adam Scott (-3), Min Woo Lee (-3), Cameron Smith (-2), or Elvis Smylie (-2), the young defending champion.
– Rafa Cabrera Bello (-1) is below par with six holes left to play, while Adri Arnaus and Rocco Repetto are currently at par, although with plenty of ground still ahead and both finishing at the 9th hole, with those two par 5s in the final stretch (the Catalan has ten holes left to play and the Andalusian eight). Quim Vidal (+3), on the other hand, has not started well and will have to work hard tomorrow to make a cut that could even go to -1, depending mainly on the wind. A triple bogey on the 15th hole, a par 5, towards the end of his round, left him with little room for manoeuvre, although he still responded with a birdie on the 17th.
