KEY POINTS:
New Zealand golfer Tim Wilkinson set the standard in the A$1.5 million ($1.85 million) Australian PGA Championship at Coolum yesterday.
The left-hander scurried around the 6263m Sunshine Coast layout in Queensland in a six-under 66 to be the clubhouse leader midway through the first round.
Officials stopped play
mid-afternoon after lightning was sighted near the course. Nearly two hours later, and with further storms forecast, they called off play for the day with 78 players - half the field - to complete their first rounds today.
Wilkinson, who finished in a tie for 11th at the Australian Masters near Melbourne on Sunday, took advantage of the benign, morning conditions to lead by one stroke from compatriot Richard Lee and Australia's 2006 US Open champion and world No 14 Geoff Ogilvy.
He left the course kicking himself, though, after a wayward tee shot saw him cough up the only bogey of his round at the 390m par-four 18th hole.
Wilkinson had the momentum in his favour from the outset when he birdied the first and second holes, before adding another three in succession from the seventh to make the turn in five-under 31.
More followed at the 12th and 14th before the hiccup at the last dragged Wilkinson back towards the chasing pack.
Wilkinson, 30, headed to Australia a fortnight ago after a successful rookie season on the PGA Tour in the United States, where he retained his card by finishing 92nd on the moneylist with income of US$1,167,607.
"I wanted to get off to a good start because [during] the morning conditions, it's always a little bit calmer," Wilkinson said.
"[The round was] solid, if I could do that for three more days I'd be happy.
"It was pretty straightforward, I hit a lot of good shots and there's just the one tee shot on the last I'd like back, that's it."
He had plenty of New Zealand company near the top of the Coolum leaderboard, with Lee on his heels after his best round for some time. Lee's 67 contained five birdies, four of them on par-fours, and no bogeys as he shot nines of 34 and 33 before the afternoon winds kicked in.
Mahal Pearce, the 2003 New Zealand Open champion, was equal fifth after shooting a blemish-free 69.
Birdies at the 12th and 16th holes enabled him to stay two ahead of countryman Mark Brown.
Brown birdied his final hole for a 71, while Doug Holloway had a 72 and Andrew Searle 74. Mathew Holten and Josh Carmichael blew out with rounds of 78 and 80 respectively.
- NZPA