Australians in control at New Zealand Open

The top five spots are owned by Australian golfers after the first round of the New Zealand Open at Arrowtown.

Unheralded Australians David Bransdon and Won Joon Lee hold a two-shot lead after the first round of the New Zealand Open in Arrowtown.

The pair were among the last of the 140-strong field to finish on Thursday, shooting 16 birdies between them on their way to matching scores of 63 at the $1 million tournament shared by The Hills and Millbrook Resort courses.

Both leaders played The Hills course on Thursday.

They top a leaderboard dominated by Australians, who have won the tournament for the last three years.

Queenslander Matthew Guyatt is alone in third on seven-under, followed a shot back by compatriots Aaron Pike and Brad Kennedy.

The leading Kiwis, on four-under, are Michael Hendry and Jared Pender.

The Australian Tour event's top-ranked player, Japanese world No.77 Hiroshi Iwata, managed a two-under 69 at Millbrook to share 37th.

It is dizzy heights early on for Victorian Bransdon and New South Welshman Lee, who hold world rankings of 549th and 1547th respectively.


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Source: AAP


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