Australian golfers Jasper Stubbs and Billy Dowling are perfectly positioned to follow in the footsteps of Harrison Crowe and march into the Masters after impressive opening rounds in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
The pair are in a tie for second at three-under alongside South Korea's Kim Hyun Uk, with Kiwi Kazuma Kobori setting the pace on Thursday with a sizzling five-under par 66.
The winner of the tournament earns invitations to compete in the 2024 Masters at Augusta National and the British Open at Royal Troon, with Sydneysider Crowe taking the 2022 amateur crown and turning professional on the back of his breakthrough year.
Stubbs, the New Zealand amateur champion, went out early and used his local knowledge to get off to a fast start in testing conditions at the famous sand-belt course.
Dowling, meanwhile, finished with a flourish late in the day with an eagle at the par-five 17th.
In showers and gusting wind, Stubbs's front nine on the Composite course was particularly impressive with four birdies from the second to the seventh holes against one bogey at the par-three third.
"I was pretty happy out there, it was windy from the start," said the 22-year-old, who is one of 13 Australian players in the 120-strong field which features golfers from 41 countries.
"A chip-in on two was pretty awesome from the front edge of the green to start the day - it was nice to start the birdie train."
Stubbs is a member at nearby Kingswood but said he'd played a lot at Royal Melbourne where his younger sister Piper was the women's club champion.
"I know the course pretty well but it's the first time I've seen it firm and fast like this," he said.
Kobori, also 22, started in the morning on the ninth tee and after an opening par stunned with four straight birdies before another on the 17th en route to his blemish-free five-under 66.
He came into the tournament in hot form after posting the best individual score in the Eisenhower Trophy world teams' championship in Abu Dhabi last week.
Kobori is also the Australian amateur champion and won the prestigious Western Amateur in the US this year which earned him exemption into some upcoming PGA and Korn Ferry events.
"It was a hell of a round - if you had given me five-under at the start of the day, I would have taken that in a heartbeat so I'm very happy to finish with a 66," Kobori said.
