Play has begun and already one of our marquee players is making move. Defending champion Min Woo Lee has made three birdies in his first seven holes to move up to 4-under. Victorian Todd Sinnott has also been fast out of the blocks. He has made birdie at each of his opening two holes and is now in a tie for 17th at 5-under-par.

Aussie, Aussie, Austrian!

He threatened to make a charge late on Saturday and now Lukas Nemecz is making himself known near the top of the leaderboard. He has made three straight birdies from the par-3 fourth and topped it off with an eagle at the par-5 seventh. The 35-year-old is now tied for third with Marc Leishman at 9-under and just one shot off the lead.

Wild about Harry

American Harry Higgs has proven to be a popular figure in his debut Down Under. He met some new fans before teeing off this morning and is tomorrow bound for Melbourne to play the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.

Party starters

Our final group is about to tee off but the party has already started at the Dabble Party Hole. And for good reason as the $1 million hole-in-one for fans is on again for Championship Sunday. Fans who are on course and who register using the QR code will share in $1 million should any player have a hole-in-one during the broadcast window.

Tapio pulling in right direction

Playing his first DP World Tour event since getting his card back via the Challenge Tour this year, Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen has played the front nine in 2-under to draw within two of the lead. Pulkkanen represented Finland at the Paris Olympics in August where he finished tied for 35th.

“I haven’t played a Major yet, so it was great to test myself against the best players in the world and they were so impressive. I was able to see how they approach the game on and off the course and it is always helpful to be in that environment.”

Todd’s wild ride

American Todd Clements played the back nine in 2-under this morning. It consisted of three bogeys, an eagle, three birdies and two pars, such as this one on 18. Proving once again there is more than one way to shoot 2-under.

Pack mentality

This leaderboard is a bigger logjam than a beaver building convention. With the afternoon groups 2.5 hours from teeing off, there are currently 37 players within three shots of leader Elvis Smylie’s score of 6-under-par.

Cutting edge

Spain’s Ivan Cantero is playing his 27th event of the year and has missed 17 cuts. After birdie at the par-4 sixth he has moved to 5-under and is now in a share of second just one shot off the lead. His best finish on the DP World Tour is a tie for third at the ISPS HANDA Championship in Japan in April and he finished 99th on the Race to Dubai Ranking to keep his card for 2025.

You’re telling us there’s a chance

We might be in for something special later this afternoon if Cam Davis’s tee shot at the Dabble Party Hole is anything to go by. The two-time PGA TOUR winner had the crowd on its feet with a shot to just six inches. If anyone can do better than that and make a hole-in-one during the TV broadcast window from 11am local time, fans who register will share in $1 million.

Here come the Kiwis

The super group might tee off at 11:10am but there is one group going super this morning. Kiwi pair Daniel Hillier (-3, below) and reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner Kazuma Kobori (-2) have climbed into a tie for third, two strokes back of Elvis Smylie. Starting from the 10th tee, Hillier had three birdies in his first four holes while Kobori gave the Dabble Party Hole an early injection of energy with a birdie on 17.

Tempting 12th under attack

It’s an all-out assault on the short 12th today. Jake McLeod (below) has made birdie after taking 3-wood off the tee while Matthew Griffin had an eagle putt from inside three metres after driving the green. The Victorian had to settle for a two-putt birdie but is now in red figures at 1-under.

Get to know… Cristobal Del Solar

As he begins his second round at 5-under and tied for second, here are some things you may not know about Chilean Cristobal Del Solar:
– He owns the record for lowest round ever recorded in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event. Del Solar shot 13-under 57 in Round 1 of the Astara Golf Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour in February. He made the turn in 8-under 27, tying the low nine-hole score in Korn Ferry Tour history.
– He wrapped up a 2025 PGA TOUR card with a win at The Ascendant in July.
– He joins Benjamin Alvarado Mito Pereira as one of three Chileans to earn a PGA TOUR card through the Korn Ferry Tour.

Herbie goes bang

An aggressive play off the tee at the beguiling par-4 12th sets up birdie for Lucas Herbert to move to 1-under for the tournament. As Davis and Perez both make par, Herbert’s bold play at the 292-metre tempter leaves him a chip which he stumps to a foot for a settling birdie early.

Right where he left off

Solid start from Victorian Matias Sanchez who opens with consecutive pars. It was on the front nine on Thursday in the worst of the conditions where he made his move, playing the front nine in an extraordinary 6-under 30. Sanchez is another of the young brigade making their name on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, finishing tied for ninth at the WA PGA Championship and fourth at the WA Open.

Perez drops back

After a day of waiting, the 443-metre par-4 10th is the toughest way to resume your championship. In the marquee morning group, Cam Davis recovers from a wayward tee shot to make par but Victor Perez drops a shot after finding the greenside trap with his approach shot and is unable to make par.

The news doesn’t get any better at the par-3 11th. After missing the green right with his tee shot, he played a sound chip to four feet but misses the putt for par. That’s a sour bogey-bogey start to drop to 3-under.

Kiwi Daniel Hillier is the early mover on course, two birdies in his opening three holes and he joins the logjam at 3-under and just three shots off the lead.

Super Saturday

Kids Day activations, 156 players on course, a BMW up for grabs for a hole-in-one and a Dabble Million Dollar Hole-in-One at the Party Hole to be shared amongst the fans who register… It’s a Super Saturday all right.

The marquee group of Victor Perez, Lucas Herbert and Cam Davis are about to tee off on 10 and, later this morning, Cameron Smith, Jason Day and Min Woo Lee will be back out on course, teeing off at 11:10am local time on the first tee.

It feels like it has been a long time coming but let’s play some golf!