Out in the afternoon field after some of the marquee names of the PGA Legends Tour had posted strong starts, Nigel Lane made his move late at Richmond Golf Club with a 5-under round to take the first-round lead at the Sharp EIT Solutions Australian PGA Seniors Championship.
Starting his day off the 10th tee, the Golf Central BNE teaching pro opened perfectly with a birdie, before adding three more, starting at the 15th to turn in 30.
The highlight of Lane’s day, however, came at the par-5 sixth during an inward half of 1-under.
“I nearly hit it into the creek on the left-hand side. I think the tree stopped it from going in the water, and I pulled out a 3-iron from 225 metres and must've hooked it 60 or 70 metres onto the green,” Lane said.
“That was probably the shot of the day, to tell you the truth.”
Lane broke a late tie at the top which included 2023 champion Jason Norris, PGA TOUR Champions regular David Bransdon, Order of Merit leader Brad Burns and left-hander Matthew Rogers at 4-under-par.
Bransdon reluctantly gave credit to one of his fellow competitors for his play, with Terry Price helping him with recent chipping struggles last Sunday evening - over a glass of red wine.
“Well, I must say yes, apparently, if he sees or hears this. It is still a work in progress. I shied away from it a couple of times today - the key - but I actually made a couple of decent ones, so yeah, it’s baby steps,” Bransdon said of Price’s chipping lesson.
Bransdon dropped a shot late at the eighth hole, his 17th, to sign for a 66 as he chases not only the title, but also a spot in the BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland.
“I'm down to play Pre-Q for the PGA anyway, so it’d be nice to actually get straight in if it worked out. You never know. We have a couple of days to go and we’re in a decent position, so we’re right where I need to be,” the Victorian said.
The group at 4-under features plenty of quality, with PGA TOUR winners John Senden and Nathan Green part of a cluster at 3-under which also includes 15-time Japanese Tour winner Brendan Jones and regular Legends Tour winner Euan Walters.
Both Green and Senden have made the event a family affair; each having one of their sons on the bag this week.
Green, who turned 50 in May, admitted the nerves still surface when playing tournament golf after several years' teaching at Toronto Golf Club and now spending more time managing his children’s schedules than tournament calendars.
Meanwhile, Senden managed an eagle at the par-5 sixth as he prepares to mix it with the younger players of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia at the QLD PGA and the Crown Australian Open, with his son Jacon along for the ride.
“It’s been one of the best starts I’ve had for a while, actually,” Senden said.
“It’s good to be back in Australia and playing locally; the Senior PGA is not a bad way to start the summer.”
Senden’s eagle was matched in style - or perhaps luck - by Martin Peterson on day one, with the New South Welshman recording a hole-in-one at the 14th when his 5-iron found the bottom of the cup from 156 metres.
Rounds 2 and 3 (Final) of the Sharp EIT Solutions Australian PGA Seniors Championship will be broadcast live on Kayo Sports and Fox Sports 503.
