Stubbs’ dream debut turned to a nightmare late on Thursday, as the 22-year-old leaked six shots in his last four holes in a horror first-round eight-over-par 80.

Stubbs had been holding his own in blustery conditions, only two-over through 14 holes with Amen Corner behind him.

“I was pretty nervous walking onto the tee of No.1, but it kind’ve wasn't as bad as I was expecting it," Stubbs said.

“I felt pretty ready to play a good round of golf. I got off to a pretty decent start after that.”

Stubbs found the water on consecutive holes to post back-to-back double-bogeys on 15 and 16, before closing with successive bogeys.

“The wind made it really tricky,” he said.

"It meant that you were just in-between a lot of clubs. Obviously, distance control into these greens is pretty paramount around here and it just made it a little bit trickier. I think I struggled a little bit with that towards the end.

"Every day we’ve had a different wind slightly and different conditions, so it’s something you've got to adjust to on the day as best you can.”

The rookie, who gained entry with victory at last year's Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne, had dreamt of a top-12 finish to earn a return in 2025.

However, he's had to quickly downgrade his expectations.

"(it’s about) Learning something from today and trying to come out tomorrow and doing my best to still make the cut," Stubbs said.

- Darren Walton