Zach Murray produced one of the hottest starts to a round in recent PGA Tour of Australasia history before a tense showdown for one of the last spots in the Australian PGA Championship field.
Having made birdie on six of his first seven holes in the third round of the Queensland PGA Championship, Murray will hold the lead into the final day at Nudgee.
He doesn’t need any reminding of what’s at stake with a berth at Royal Queensland next week on the line for a host of players trying to score their first win of the season.
Murray (-12) eventually signed for an eight-under 64 on Saturday – matched by hotshot amateur Billy Dowling – to hold a one-shot lead as he chases his first professional win since the New Zealand Open in 2019.
“I haven’t led a golf tournament in a while,” Murray said. “I was pretty lucky earlier in my career I had a fair few leads and I’ve won events and been in contention a fair bit when I was younger, but of late my game hasn’t been anywhere near it. You embrace whatever comes with it.
“I’m not in next week and I really want to play. It’s win or go to qualifying on Monday. That’s the plan.
“More importantly, I didn’t come out (in the third round) to win the golf tournament. I came out to shoot the lowest score I can, and that’s what I’ll do (in the last round).
“What will be (on Sunday) will be.”
Murray has bravely spoken about his mental health battles throughout his career, including panic attacks which would make it impossible for him to even go to the supermarket alone.
He’s slowly returned to the tour in recent times and has a chance for another monumental win, shading Cameron John (68), James Marchesani (68) and Douglas Klein (69), who are all at 11-under.
Queensland amateur Dowling (-9), who played in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in the Middle East, is the next best of the chasing pack after a scintillating 64.
But not even he could boast the start of Murray, who made birdie on his first five holes and then seized the lead with two more on his final three after chucking a new putter in his bag for last week’s NSW Open.
Asked if he can remember making six birdies in his first seven holes before, Murray said: “Probably not on tour, but I do it most weekends back home. I haven’t been able to put it into play in a tournament for a while. It was a really nice start and good to capitalise on it as well.”
KLEIN BOUNCES BACK TO HOLD LEAD AT QUEENSLAND PGA
Douglas Klein’s 11th-hour push for a spot in Australia’s two richest events is one step closer after he doggedly fought to maintain the lead at the halfway point of the Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee.
Klein, who is outside the projected field for both the Australian PGA Championship next week and the ensuing Australian Open, laboured to an even-par 72 in tricky conditions on Friday.
But it was enough to maintain a one-shot cushion at the top of the leaderboard knowing a win on the PGA Tour of Australasia will secure his immediate and longer term future.
“I got humbled pretty fast out there (on Friday) morning,” Klein said. “Played a pretty terrible opening nine, (but) got back to the game plan, which is hitting a lot of greens.
“You’ve got to stay patient around here, but even then, that might not be enough. You’ve got to lean on your iron play a lot, which I did on the front nine and capitalised and got it back to even.
“Something I’ve worked on is my attitude a lot. So far so good. I think we’ve done a pretty good job of just steadying the ship and not getting too flustered with the bad ones.”
Klein (-8) had four birdies to cancel out four blemishes on his card, meaning he heads into the weekend a stroke clear of Anthony Quayle (71), James Marchesani (68) and Cameron John (70), who are all at seven-under.
Marchesani would be a popular winner if he could prevail this week after the 35-year-old was denied his first PGA Tour of Australasia win on the fourth hole of a three-man playoff at the NSW Open last week.
“I hit a lot of good golf shots last week and tried to carry that on into this week,” he said. “It’s sort of similar to where you can’t really force yourself off the tee too much, so it’s sort of set up nice that we can carry that same sort of game plan into this week.”
Eighteen-year-old Victorian amateur Hamish Farquharson (-6) was the big mover during the second round with a four-under 68 to be sitting on the heels of the leading pack.
NSW Open winner Chris Wood (+1) scrambled inside the cut line on the number after a 74.
HUGE STEP IN GUAN’S INCREDIBLE FIGHTBACK FROM HORROR EYE INJURY
They’ve won almost everything this year, and two Queensland stars took hold of their state championship on a day Jeff Guan achieved a new milestone in his comeback from a horrific eye injury.
Douglas Klein and Anthony Quayle, who both play under the Queensland flag, shot to the lead after the opening round of the Queensland PGA Championship on Thursday – a precursor to the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland next week.
READ MORE: JEFF GUAN’S REMARKABLE COMEBACK TO GOLF
Klein was bogey free in an eight-under 64 at Nudgee Golf Club while Quayle, who will join the DP World Tour as a full member next week, is hot on his heels with a 66.
Klein’s PGA Tour of Australasia season already has two top-10 finishes in his last two events at the Webex Players Series SA and NSW Open.
“Seriously pleased,” Klein said.
“My form has been really good lately, I just needed a little tweak with the putter.”
But the feel-good story was unfolding just behind the top pair on the leaderboard as Guan, who is only months into his return to the game after being blinded in one eye following an accident at a Pro-Am, signed for a five-under 67.
It could have been even better if not for a couple of late bogeys.
The round was easily the best first round score he has achieved since returning on a medical exemption as the former Junior Presidents Cup player slowly builds confidence in his game.
“I feel like my course management has improved over time as I’ve played more and more rounds,” Guan said.
“My swing is getting there. I see my shots sort of shaping up to how they used to be. I’m still hitting a couple of loose ones here and there.
“The scores will eventually come. With what’s happened, I’ve just got to work twice as hard. I look back and seeing how much I’ve gone through step by step, and all the support I’ve been given, I’m just really grateful for the opportunity.
“It’s definitely a great feeling.”
Guan was one of seven players at five-under, joined by Darcy Brereton, Gavin Fairfax, Braden Becker, Cameron John, Deyen Lawson and Harry Doig.
NSW Open champion Chris Wood (-1) had an eagle in his 71 while the man he beat in the last week’s playoff in the Hunter Valley, James Marchesani (-3), made a fantastic start with 69 as he pursues his first ever Australasian tour win.
