In the calmer morning conditions, Dodt recorded eight birdies and a single bogey to sit ahead of New Zealander Ryan Fox and Americans Julian Suri and Harold Varner III, with the latter still left with four holes to complete when the horn sounded at 3.16pm. Play was abandoned for the day at 4.45pm.

Round one was set to restart at 5.30am Friday, with the morning groups teeing off in round two between 7 and 9am and the second wave going out between 11.45am and 1.45pm.

Beautiful conditions had greeted the players as the European Tour’s 2017 Race to Dubai got under way, but the expected high winds arrived in the afternoon and brought with them storms, with half the field yet to complete their first rounds.

That was no problem for Dodt, however, who was in the clubhouse at seven under having come home in an excellent 31 after starting on the back nine. The two-time European Tour winner made just seven of 20 cuts last season but has been working on his game in recent months and is glad to see that work bearing some fruit.

Andrew Dodt sizes up another birdie putt late in his round. PHOTO: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

“I wanted to hit the ground running for the 2017 season, hole one, shot one and I managed to do that today," he said. "I hit it really well, putted really well. It was just a really solid run.

“I just haven't been playing the game as well as I should. I've been hitting it good but not getting the results, so I've kind of had to learn how to play the game again or just change some bad habits that I was doing.

"So, I'm playing the game a lot better now as opposed to playing the swing game.”

FIRST ROUND LEADERBOARD

Nathan Holman won this event at level par last season and Dodt revealed he was looking for a ten under par total for the week, something he was well on the way to surpassing.

"My caddy and I said, probably maybe ten under at the start of the week, so it's nice to be seven under after round one," he added.

The 30-yearold started on the 10th hole and turned in 34 with three birdies and a bogey but really came to life on the front nine. He birdied the 1st, 3rd and 5th holes – the last of the trio coming with a huge 45-foot left-to-right putt to join a four-way tie for the lead. He then broke away at the top of the leaderboard with closing birdies on the 8th and 9th holes.

Earlier, Fox embarking on his maiden European Tour season after finishing fourth on last season's Challenge Tour Road to Oman and he turned in 33 with birdies on the 3rd, 4th and 9th holes.

A short putt on the 15th brought another birdie and a further gain on the 17th saw him set the target, which stood for nearly 90 minutes before Dodt finished his round.

Ryan Fox's good form has continued into the first round of the Australian PGA. PHOTO: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

Varner made it into a play-off last season before falling to Holman and he once again showed how much he likes the Gold Coast, making four birdies in a row from the 7th before stiffing his approach to the 13th green. He will resume his first round at five under and on the 15th hole in the morning.

World No.7 Adam Scott, who has finished first and second in his last two appearances in the Australian PGA Championship, opened this campaign with a four under 68 to sit alongside South Australia’s Nick Cullen, Victorian pair Geoff Drakeford and Todd Sinnott. Thailand's Natipong Srithong and Englishman Paul Waring are also part of the group at four under.