There are 66s – and then there’s the one Andrew Tharle had today to lead the Australian Mid-Amateur Championship.
Despite uncustomarily calm conditions at Torquay Sands on Victoria’s Surf Coast, most of the field strung out on the first day of the three-round tournament.
But Tharle, of Royal Canberra, was nothing short of superb on a course renowned for its testing rough and slick greens, carding a spectacular six-under-par round.
Remarkably, with only three of the 38-strong field better than par, Tharle’s lead is only two with Keperra’s Ashley Grosvenor, last year’s runner-up, also carding a superb bogey-free 68, while Yarra Yarra’s Leo Lui is third on 69.
In the women’s event, three-time champion Sue Wooster surged back to a familiar position with her 78 good enough for a three-stroke lead over fellow Victorian Adele Huggard, with Royal Fremantle’s Candice High third on 82.
But the day belonged to 2012 champion Tharle, whose extraordinary round even endured two bogeys.
He went out in 32 after an eagle on the third and birdies on the fourth and sixth holes. But despite his brace of bogeys on the 10th and 11th, he hit back with birdies on the short 13th and 17th holes interspersed with another eagle on the long 16th to come home in 34.
Four-time Torquay Sands club champion Craig Corker fired five bogeys but managed an even-par 72 courtesy of an eagle on the 16th, while defending champion Mark Boulton eagled the 12th but had seven bogeys in his 77.
Tennis legend Todd Woodbridge fired an opening 79 to sit alongside Tasmanian Interstate Series captain Greg Longmore.
The second round starts at 8am on Thursday.
Leaderboards: