Now, he is the surprise halfway leader of the Emirates Australian Open courtesy of a sensational second round seven under 65.

The battling Novacastrian had six birdies and an eagle to surge to the top of the leaderboard at nine under, one stroke clear of big hitting New Zealander Ryan Fox. Fellow New South Welshman Rhein Gibson is a further stroke back at seven under, while tournament favourite Adam Scott, US Amateur Champion Curtis Luck and recent PGA Tour winner Rod Pampling are among five players at six under.

Nitties, playing late in the day and starting on the 10th tee, was even with the card through his first nine holes but a spectacular eagle on the par-5 2nd hole was the tonic he needed to kick-start his round.

A big drive downwind left Nitties with just a 4-iron in his hands for his second shot into the green on the 504-metre hole.

“They were the two best shots I’ve hit all week so far,” Nitties smiled.

The result left him an eagle putt from just over two feet, which “I make 90, I mean 99 percent of the time” Nitties laughingly confessed.

With nine holes left in his second round he was just hoping to keep his round going to make the weekend.

But golf is a funny game. In the space of two hours he went from thinking “make the cut” to “take the lead”. Five birdies in seven holes will do that.

James Nitties (right) thanks the gallery after making his birdie on the 8th hole. PHOTO: Matt King/Getty Images.

Birdies at the 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th and 9th holes – with his longest converted birdie putt coming from just 10 feet – elevated this battler into pole-position with two rounds to go.

It is a position that has taken the 34-year-old by surprise; given his build up for this event has been a diet of pro-ams in and around Newcastle and a missed cut at the NSW Open last week.

“I didn’t see this coming,” Nitties said.

“I think the last event I played the cut was eight under and 28 under won the tournament. I think I shot six under and missed the cut.

“Then I came home, I played pretty good in Fiji, didn’t putt well. Then I’ve been playing some pro-ams around Newcastle, I played the NSW Open last week and shot three under and missed the cut. That’s another course you couldn’t really gauge your game for the week because everyone’s going low. 

“It’s just one of those things, this course is a great scoring course. You don’t have to make everything and hole putts and hit everything close, if you can build rounds here.”

Nitties’ 12-year professional career has predominantly been spent on mini-tours and the secondary Web.com Tour in the United States. His best year in America was in 2009 when he finished second at Tour School and had two top-10 finishes in his rookie year.

FINAL ROUND LEADERBOARD  |   THIRD ROUND TEE TIMES

That success saw him buy a house in Dallas as he contemplated a continuing career in the big show.

He retained his card for 2010 but dropped back to the secondary tour the following year when he had a win but still missed a promotion back to the PGA Tour by a heart-breaking one spot. He’s been fighting ever since to keep his card on the Web.com Tour ever since.

He has since sold the house in Dallas to finance his life on Tour and remains motivated to keep going because “this is the job he loves” and he knows “life is tougher in the real world”.

“It’s been a pretty rough last three years golfing-wise,” he said. “I’m still enjoying it.

James Nitties (right) hits his approach into the 9th hole to set up his final birdie of the round. 
PHOTO: Matt King/Getty Images.

“It’s just funny, playing mini tours this year in America and you’re a 34-year-old and you know you’ve been on the PGA Tour and you’ve competed on the Web and my game hasn’t really changed much from then, but you’re staying in hotels with cockroaches running around.

“It’s fun when you’re a junior and you just turn pro and it’s exciting – not so much so the cockroaches – but you’re excited and then as you get older and you experience more, it’s a real battle.

“You have a battle with your mind, especially now I don’t feel old, but I’m the older guy and these kids coming out that are 20, 21 and they’re just so full of motivation.

“I love competition and competing but it gets a little rough; to the point where I spent a little bit of money this year, so I just came home and I’d rather be playing pro-ams than sitting on the couch.

“You still see a lot of guys like me that have been at a different level or a top level and you’ve just to do it. It’s a way of competing.

“I didn’t play too well in all the pro-ams – I played okay in some of the pro-ams but for me it’s a way to compete. I’m not a huge fan of beating balls on the range, I’d rather play and play for some money or be competitive.

“It’s not a fun feeling but I’m never one that’s going to – a lot of people work really hard and have middle class jobs that they have to work 60 hours a week.

“If I can just work really hard for four hours and get something out of it, it really changes the perspective that you have.”

But when asked if he would prefer to win the Australian Open this week, which would give him a start in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, or hold on and perhaps win the European Tour co-sanctioned Australian PGA next week that would guarantee a European Tour card, he laughed.

“Are you guaranteeing both?” he smiled.

“I’ll take the Aussie Open win. If you’re telling me which one I’d like to win, it would be the PGA obviously. But I like the position I’m in right now.

“Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve been up the top of the leaderboard in an Australian Open or a PGA, so, it’s going to be pretty nerve-wracking out there, but it’s a good feeling.

“It’s fun to be in the mix at a large event.”

And its even better to sleep without cockroaches.