Crediting recent work with a sports psychologist, Higgins turned around a recent run of missed cuts with a seven birdie round on a difficult day in the Hunter Valley region where Haydn Barron, Ben Henkel and Dimi Papadatos share second on 4-under, while Herbert returned a 2-under score in his first competitive round in three months.

Out in the early morning when the wind that delivered high scores in the afternoon was still building, Higgins made a positive start with a birdie at the first hole and despite two back nine bogeys was pleased with his days work.

“Just tried to practise really. I've been playing so bad, so just trying to figure out a few things really,” Higgins said of the recent break in the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia schedule.

“I just played well today. I don’t know if I've figured it out yet, but yeah, today was definitely a nice round.

“I've struggled with my whole career is a mental approach to the game … I've been working with a new sports psychologist for the last six months, Rachel Jones on the Gold Coast, and she's just given me some perspective on things and just tried to get rid of some of the head noise.”

Also paying tribute to the way he thought his way around the course, Barker was in the afternoon draw with the wind catching him out as he recorded back-to-back bogeys to start his day from the 10th.

“It was a big settle in. It was a big, ‘Hey, you're not on the driving range’,” Barker said.

“I didn't know what to do, I was all over the place. And made a very soft bogey and then did it up 11. I was like, okay, you're going to hit golf shots today. You're not going to swing your golf club anymore.”

That strategy kicked in throughout his first nine which resulted in a 2-under 34 before Barker got hot with a hat-trick of birdies from the first hole as he relished the windy conditions and difficult Greg Norman designed layout.

“Give me the windy, tough day over the dead calm 11-under-pars leading day,” Barker said.

It wasn’t just the leaders who noted the need for a strong mental approach this week, with Barron continuing to find enjoyment in his return to professional golf, while Henkel spoke of the need to strategically approach the course and his recent boost in confidence from advancing through the first stage of Asian Tour qualifying in the United States.

Papadatos admitting “Surprise” at his score having spent more time recently opening and running his simulator golf business, InSim Golf, before opening with a 67.

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For his part, Herbert made seven straight pars to open his title defence that began at the 10th surrounded by a strong crowd despite the 7:35am tee time. The Victorian birdieing the par-3 17th and adding two more at the first and second before his lone bogey at the third.

“It looked like I hadn't played golf in three months,” Herbert said.

“There was some shots in there that I was really happy with that I felt like worked on a bit and we'd made progress, but then there was just a lot of stuff that I think you probably take for granted a little bit when you're playing all the time … short game shots, pitching shots are just sharp and you just haven't played in a while.

“I'm thrilled with 2-under the way I played.”

Also shooting 2-under was now part-time player, mostly coach, Michael Sim, who was the lone player in the field without a bogey on his scorecard on Thursday at The Vintage.