KEY POINTS:
SYDNEY- New Zealand golfers David Smail and Mark Brown both fired five-under-par opening rounds of 67 to share the clubhouse lead on day one of the Australian Open here today.
In calm morning conditions at Royal Sydney, the pair mirrored each other's rounds with six birdies and a solitary bogey.
Smail's only blemish came on the tough par-three 17th, which handed Brown the outright lead, but Smail quickly recovered with a birdie on the 18th.
After a bogey on the par-four fourth, Brown finished with a rush with three birdies in his last five holes.
It was a welcome upswing in form for New Zealand's two highest ranked players who finished an inglorious 22nd at last month's World Cup event in China.
The pair led by two shots from Australian John Senden, the 2006 champion, with the first half of the field in the clubhouse.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's US Amateur champion Danny Lee made a flying start to his afternoon round with back-to-back birdies, to be two-under after three holes.
- NZPA