BY BRENDAN JAMES AT RACV ROYAL PINES RESORT. GOLD COAST

The bright lights of Surfers Paradise’s famed nightlife had yet to shine their brightest when Jin Jeong placed his head on the pillow on Thursday night.

With lightning and heavy rain bringing play to a premature halt on day one, players were advised they would be back on course at 5.30 Friday morning to complete the first round of the Australian PGA.

Jeong was four under, just two shots off the lead held by American Boo Weekley, when play was suspended for the day. He marked his ball in the middle of the 13th fairway and headed for the clubhouse and an early night.

Jin Jeong hits from heavy rough on the 18th hole at the end of his opening round this morning. PHOTO: Getty Images Jin Jeong hits from heavy rough on the 18th hole at the end of his opening round this morning. PHOTO: Getty Images

While the lure of a night on the town might have been strong, he was in bed by 9 o’clock with the alarm set for 3.30am. “I kept visualising that first shot I was going to have to play,” the 24-year-old Melbourne-based South Korean said.

“But I was more focused on how much sleep I was going to get. I tried to get to bed as early as possible but it was still about 9 … I got six and a half hours sleep. That’s plenty I think.”

But it may have appeared he was still half asleep as he resumed his round with a less than auspicious shot into the par-4 13th.

“I hit it fat,” Jeong laughed, “and it came up 30 metres short of the green. That’s not how I visualised playing that shot.

“But I got up and down from there and that actually gave me some momentum. I hit a good tee shot on the next hole and after that it was pretty good.”

The 2013 Perth International champion then went on a tear, making three birdies in a row from the 14th hole. On the long par-3 14th he rolled in a breaking 20-foot putt for a two. At the next, he laid up short of the green on the par-5 and pitched to 3 feet and converted that for birdie as well. The par-3 16th hole, which proved difficult throughout the opening round, yielded a rare birdie as Jeong nailed his putt from 12 feet for another two.

With more rain lurking and the wind picking up from the south, Jeong parred his last two holes to sign for a seven under 65 and a one-shot lead over Weekley, who is due to get back on course at 12.20pm (Queensland time).

Jeong, whose only other notable result since winning in Perth was a tie for second at the Joburg Open in South Africa earlier this year, had just 30 minutes to kill between completing his excellent opening round and getting back out on course for round two.

He said that might just prove to be an advantage and it gives him an opportunity to post a low number in the clubhouse before the majority of his closest pursuers start their second rounds.

“It definitely helps having been out in the conditions early this morning to get straight back out there and perhaps post a score,” Jeong said.

“Obviously the pins are going to change but having been out there I know how the course is playing.”

He didn’t mess around either. At the time of writing and with winds starting to gust up to 45km an hour combined with heavy rain starting to fall, Jeong birdied his first hole of the second round to open up a two-stroke lead over Weekley

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