Jason Scrivener leads the WA challenge at the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open after opening his account with a blistering eight-under-par 63.
The long-time Mandurah Country Club member (pictured above) enjoyed excellent support at his home club and gave fans plenty to cheer about, carding nine birdies in an eventful round.
Remarkably, Scrivener’s wasn’t the round of the day, with South Australian Jak Carter going one better and setting a new course record with a nine-under 62 that included eight birdies and an eagle.
Meanwhile, QLD’s Zachary Maxwell and Victorian Connor McDade also made the most of benign morning conditions to card eight-under-par rounds to join Scrivener in a three-way tie for second.
However, Scrivener’s DP World Tour status makes it inevitable that he will bag most of the headlines – despite the player admitting he wasn’t quite at his top level.
“I was a little nervous to start, but I built into the round nicely and I’m happy with my day,” he said. “I didn’t play amazingly, but I scored well and made some good putts to keep me going.”
Scrivener hailed the impact of the first-day supporters, who were out in force to cheer him on. “It was awesome. I wasn’t sure what to expect first thing on a Thursday, but it was nice to see so many members and a bit of family, that was pretty cool,” he added.
It was also a day to remember for WA’s Ryan Peake, who lies in outright fifth at -7 after a round that included six birdies and an incredible hole-in-one at the 151-metre par-three fifth.
Ryan Peake’s seven-under-par 64 featured a hole-in-one at the 5th
Ryan Ang and Matias Sanchez lie sixth at -6 ahead of a trio of players – including defending champion Simon Hawkes and 2021 winner Braden Becker – a shot further adrift.
The congested leaderboard also features 12 players in a share of 11th at -4, including WA’s Brady Watt, Scott Strange, Ben Ferguson and amateur Ollie Marsh.
Playing alongside Scrivener in the marquee group, Curtis Luck returned a three-under 68 that could have been several shots better, while Haydn Barron laboured to a two-over 73.
View the full leaderboard here.
Day one’s other talking points
In her bid to become the first woman to make a cut at the WA Open since Kirsten Rudgeley in 2019, Mandurah member Kathryn Norris lies inside the expected cut mark after a one-under-par opening round of 70.
Kathryn Norris fired three birdies in her round of 70 today
In the chase for the Terry Gale Cup for the low amateur, Wanneroo GC’s Ollie Marsh fired a superb four-under 67, a score shared by NSW state player Coby Carruthers. WA amateurs Connor Fewkes (-3), Michael Hanrahan Smith (-2) and Izaac Heales (-2) are also well-positioned to play all four rounds.
Meanwhile, NSW’s Dimitrios Papadatos shook off a nasty blow to the head from an errant golf ball to finish the day within the clutch of players in T11th at -4.
View the full leaderboard here.
Play on Day 2 commences at 7am from both the 1st and 10th tees. You can view the second-round draw here.
The Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open will take place at Mandurah Country Club from October 17-20 and is FREE for spectators to attend. Find full details about the event here.
Not able to get to Mandurah to attend the event in person? No problem. You can tune in to live coverage of the championship on Foxtel and Kayo over the closing two rounds.
- Saturday, October 19: 1pm – 4pm (AWST)
- Sunday, October 20: 11am – 4pm (AWST)
