Curtis Luck and Matt Jones are leading a strong Aussie start to the Web.Com Tour finals series in the United States.
On the first day of a month-long four-tournament stretch that will yield 25 US PGA Tour playing cards for next season, veteran Stuart Appleby was the only player among nine Aussies who failed to shoot par or better at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Ohio.
Sydneysider Jones, showing more than occasional glimpses of his 2015 Australian Open winning form, poured in six birdies in his opening four-under-par 67 to trail Swedish leader Henrik Norlander by three shots.
Luck, of Perth, who was superb under pressure last week just to qualify for the finals, matched his countryman in all aspects with six more birdies in his 67 as the pair shared sixth.
Two more Australian Open champions, John Senden and Cam Davis, each had five birdies in opening 69s, a score matched by the in-form Cam Percy, who was slightly more consistent with only one bogey as the trio shared 29th at two under.
Aaron Baddeley maintained his good form with an opening 70, one shot better than New South Welshmen Brett Drewitt and Rhein Gibson who share 71st at even par.
Appleby, uncharacteristically, struggled to find a birdie and suffered five bogeys en route to a flat 75.