A 16-year-old amateur schoolgirl stole the show and a share of the lead at the Australian Open on Thursday, while in the men’s event Cameron Davis was a stroke ahead after a flawless nine-under-par 63.
Australian teenager Rachel Lee was a shock joint leader, upstaging major winners Shin Ji-yai, Minjee Lee and Hannah Green. The qualifier fired a six-under-par 67 to accompany South Korea’s Jenny Shin at the top of the leaderboard.
Former champion Davis sunk seven birdies and an eagle in front of big crowds at the DP World Tour event in Sydney to put the Australian one clear of US PGA Tour player Patrick Rodgers.
The mixed Australian Open involves men and women teeing off in alternating groups on the same courses. The Jack Nicklaus-designed Australian Golf Club is the main venue across all four days, with the nearby Lakes Golf Club co-hosting play for the first two rounds.
Australian Hayden Hopewell and Scotland’s Connor Syme were tied third in the men’s tournament on seven-under. “I know this place well, so I felt like I had plenty of good memories in the bank to go out there and play the course with,” said 2017 winner Davis of the Lakes Golf Club.
Australia’s Min Woo Lee, who won the Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane last week, continued his stellar form with a bogey-free 67 as he chases a fourth DP World Tour title.
