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Stefan Tonev
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Micheluzzi leads Australian Open
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Grace Kim led the women's component of the inaugural dual gender event

Local professional David Micheluzzi began the ISPS HANDA Australian Open in style by opening up a three-shot lead after day one, his lowest ever DP World Tour round.

The Australian carded a 63 at Victoria Golf Club to get to seven under to lead the way from countryman Matthew Griffin and Kiwi Josh Geary, who was playing Kingston Heath Golf Club.

The 26-year-old has enjoyed an impressive start to the season on home soil, a recent winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia, lifting the trophy at the CKB WA PGA Championship presented by TX Civil & Logistics and then last week on the DP World Tour in Brisbane he secured a maiden top ten.

“The last probably few weeks or the win in WA, that third day and the last day was pretty much how I’ve been hitting it the last five months,” Micheluzzi said. “I hadn’t played amazing golf over the last stretch, even last week wasn’t amazing, just plodded around.

“I’ve just gotten better at everything. I feel like my course management’s really good all the time. I know how to think around a golf course. Just hitting it better, just comfortable with playing these events now. I think this is what, our seventh event in the space of nine weeks, so yeah, just being comfortable in the situation.”

Australian youngster Grace Kim led the women’s component of the inaugural dual gender event by two strokes from South Korea’s former world number one Shin Jiyai and major winner Hannah Green after a blazing start in her seven-under 66 at Kingston Heath.

Australia’s national open is breaking new ground this week with 300 players taking part across the men’s, women’s and All Abilities championships.