Collyer was out early and scorched the Tom Doak layout, the Victorian making an incredible start recording three birdies in a row before he eagled the short par-4 5th hole.

A bogey at the difficult 7th halted his progress a little, before the 25-year-old made another four consecutive birdies starting at the 13th, which was followed shortly after with a three at the par-4 18th to sign for a nine-under 62 and the lead on his own at 14-under.

“I was aiming a bit left of the flag, and it kind of came out going on the flag and it went once bounce and in for eagle,” Collyer said of the eagle at the fifth hole that helped him break out of yet another tie for the lead. “Tournament golf is where you can make the most gains with your game because it’s under pressure, week-in, week-out. That’s helped me massively, playing and competing, different courses each week and try to score as low as possible.’’

Collyer himself was an amateur with plenty of promise and success before turning pro, whereas Crowe remains in the non-paying ranks and was the recent winner of the NSW Amateur. He isn’t rushing to join those playing for a pay cheque this week. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t aiming higher than low amateur honours.

RIGHT: Blake Collyer set a blistering pace early at Concord, making his way around Tom Doak's redesign in just 62 shots. PHOTOS: Golf NSW (right), Adrian Logue (top).

“It’s at the front of the mind, not the back of the mind,” he said when asked if winning was knocking around his thoughts. “I came out here this week not to just make the cut or a top-10. I wanted to win. I’ve put myself in a position to do that and I’ve just got to take it as it comes and keep playing the same golf I’ve been playing.”

The “same golf” so far this week has been bogey free over 36 holes and supremely impressive for all those in attendance in Sydney’s inner west. Crowe admitting he had some nerves early on Friday afternoon, however, his three-under front nine and four birdies on the back suggested otherwise.

“I think today just confirmed that I’m good enough to be here,” Crowe said. “Obviously sleeping when tied for the lead last night, and kind of knowing that you’ve got to shoot a good round, and then going out there and doing it, is always a big confidence-booster. There’s two rounds left, so anything can happen. I’ve just got to keep doing exactly what I’ve been doing.”

The 20-year-old made birdie at the difficult par-4 12th and immediately followed it with another at the short par-4 13th when he felt that his bogey free run might come to an end after his chip ran well past the green.

“In the back of my mind, I was like ‘I’m bogey-free, I’m thinking I don’t want to three put here’. That’s a pretty bad thought to have. Just hit it, knock it in. It’s nice to see it drop,” he said after his round of the eventual birdie.

"I came out here this week not to just make the cut or a top-10. I wanted to win. I’ve put myself in a position to do that ..." - Harrison Crowe.

He had a close call at the next, a missed birdie putt at par-3 he described to this reported as “naughty” in how it grazed the edge of the cup.

A par at the par-5 15th was almost giving a shot back to the field, who were a cumulative 193-under-par over the first two days. But a drive that could only be described as hammered at the 17th left just 108 metres into the green of the 442 metre par-4.

Crowe executing the wedge shot perfectly and setting up his seventh birdie of the day to draw level with Collyer, the pair owning a two-shot lead over four of the overnight leaders, Dimi Papadatos, Jarryd Felton, Deyen Lawson and Jordan Zunic.

Papadatos was out in the first group of the day by design of the Golf NSW team to allow him, as well as Louis Dobbelaar, Tim Hart and a number of others to make a mad dash to Wollongong for fellow Tour pro’s Lincoln Tighe’s wedding. The reigning Vic Open champion on best man duties with his speech mostly written he joked with this publication that it could be in the form of a post round interview.

“It’s a pretty exciting day and I’ve got a lot of things on my mind, so it was good to stay focused,” he said when asked if he felt like Superman going into the phone booth to change into his suit in clubhouse before make the drive south.

While Papadatos had big plans for Friday night, Crowe was simply headed for a “big feed”, and the St. Michael’s member even passed comment to this reporter that he would “kill for a beer” after a day in the humid conditions around a damp Concord.

A beer that will taste all the sweeter if he can join Ben Eccles (2015) and Rick Kulacz (2006) as amateur winners of the NSW Open this century.