A rising breeze is helping the Murray Downs Layout square the ledger, with the afternoon field now battling a 20 km/h southerly adding some bite.
Best on the course as the round winds up are a pair of amateurs, Daniel Gill and Toby Walker.
The pair at three under, with Gill riding a bogey-free round with just one hole to play.
Walker, from Heidelberg GC in Victoria, began his day on the back nine and crafted a handy three-under par front nine.
A birdie on the first (his 10th) saw him get to four under, however a messy bogey on the reachable par-five 4th saw him drop back to three under and a tie for 11th.
1.30pm: Matt the Man to Catch
The mercurial Matt Millar is the man of the moment after carding an incredible eight under 64 on a morning perfect for golf.
The Federal golf Club-based professional was flawless, carding six birdies and an eagle in a round described by his playing partner, amateur Jeffrey Guan as ‘unbelievable.’
Ryan Lynch, whose six under 66 was the low round of the day until Millar strolled into the scorers tent remains in outright second place, While James Marchesani, Charlie Dann and Daniel Gale are another shot back in third place.
“It was nice to find the middle of the bat for the first time in a while,” Lynch said after his round. ” I holed a few putts out there which was nice.
Besides rolling in his share of birdies, Lynch also binned a pair of handy eagles, including a hole out from about 50 metres not he flirts ( his 10th).
“I hit a nice 5 iron into 12, then holed the putt, then I holed a fifty metres edge on the first.”
“It came off very nicely and didn’t look like missing, he grinned.
A remarkable 25 players broke par in the morning half of the draw, with the afternoon half of the draw now on course.
12.20pm: Dann and Gale bringing the heat
Castle Hill’s Daniel Gale and Queenslander Charlie Dann are bringing the heat to opening round leader, Ryan Lynch.
Playing together alongside another maroon, Shae Wools Cobb, the trio are feeding off one-another, with Dann and Gale both at five under, with Wools-Cobb just a shot back at four under.
Gale has a clean card to date, rolling in birdies on the eighth, ninth, and tenth, before adding a second pair at 13 and 14 to be five under.
Dann, meanwhile has had a whirlwind round of an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys with a couple of holes left to play.
10.30am: Lynch the leader but several circling
Ryan Lynch is the leader on course here at Murray Downs, currently five under through 12 holes.
The Victorian is riding a bit of a roller-coaster, with three birdies, two eagles, including a hole out on the first ( his 10th and two bogeys.
A trio of players are at three under, including Aussie-based Japanese Tour Player Matt Griffin, Queensland’s Charlie Dann and flyaway Victorian Amateur Phoenix Campbell.
Five players round out the top-10 at the hallway mark of the morning round, Elvis Smylie, John Lyras, Justin Warren, James Conran and James Marchesani.
The Evergreen Matt Millar won’t be too far away and Man-on-the-ground Mark Hayes was there to catch the Canberra Gun rollin a handy birdie on the 9th.
7.30am: Play Underway
The Murray Open is underway under grey skies at Murray Downs Golf & Country Club.
The leading players will hit off from around 7.45 am with the leading group including stars like Marcus Fraser, Elvis Smylie and Japanese Tour Player Matt Griffin.
2021 NSW Open Champion Bryden Macpherson is of at 8.05am alongside Picton’s Justin Warren.
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