Power six back as Moscatel fires sweet 63 to lead Australian PGA
Mark Power. Picture: Pat Cashman
Mount Juliet's Mark Power made a strong start in the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship but finds himself six shots behind first-round leader Joel Moscatel in Brisbane.
Rookie Power (23) opened with a two-under 69 at Royal Queensland as he bids to take full advantage of a sponsor's invitation, having missed out on his card by a single stroke at Q-School.
I played great, got it to three-under through ten and the way I was feeling I thought I could push it to four or five but made an unlucky bogey on 12 and made a lot of pars coming in," Power said.
"I hit the ball great and only missed two greens which is what you have to do around here, hit greens and give yourself looks and I did that today.
"I have never been here before so when there was an opportunity to go I jumped on it straightaway. I was disappointed to miss the final cut at the DP World Tour stage by one because I felt my game was in a good spot so to have the chance to come out here and compete on a great course was an easy one to take.
"My main goal is to perform well this week and next week and see can I gain some DP World Tour status."
But Spaniard Moscatel (25) carded a course-record equalling eight-under-par 63 in his first appearance on the DP World Tour as a professional to lead by one stroke from home favourite Min Woo Lee.
Like Power, who made four birdies and two bogeys, Moscatel also failed to win his card in Tarragona by a single stroke earlier this month.
But with Adri Arnaus' caddie on his bag, he turned in three-under-par and then reeled off five consecutive birdies from the 12th to take the clubhouse lead.
Joel Moscatel Nachshon of Spain lines up a putt during day one of the 2023 Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club on November 23, 2023 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
"I didn't even know it was the course record; we just played our golf, and it was so nice to equal that record," Moscatel said. "It was so fun today.
"(Missing out at Qualifying School) was hard, but at the same time, (last year) I was playing on a satellite tour and some invites on Challenge Tour.
"So being able to plan full schedule on Challenge Tour this year was a big thing for me. I wanted to have it, but one shot in six days is nothing. So, it is what it is."
World number 45 Lee sits one shot back after making two birdies in his last three holes for a seven-under 64 as he hunts a second professional victory on home soil.
His compatriot John Lyras is third on six under, with six players, including 2013 Masters Tournament winner and former world number one Adam Scott, tied for fifth on five under with Lucas Herbert, Ryo Hisatsune and Connor Syme.
Galgorm's Tom McKibbin and Portmarnock's Conor Purcell have work to do to make the cut after level par 71s left them tied for 73rd.
McKibbin was two-under-par with three holes to go but bogeyed the 16th and 17th for his 71, while Purcell made four birdies and four bogeys in a mixed round.
Min Woo Lee: "Birdieing two of the last three was really nice. It seemed like if you don’t make birdie there, it seems like it’s a lost opportunity, so I felt like I didn’t leave much out there and it was a very solid round.
“I think I did everything pretty solid. I putted and chipped really nicely and then drove it really good. This course is quite wide, so you’ve got to hit decent approach shots around this course. You’ve got to miss them in the right spots. So, I think approach play was spot on today. I didn’t really miss too many greens, so that helped."
Connor Syme: "Definitely came to life on the 18th.I made a kind of sloppy bogey on the party hole, unfortunately, and managed to roll five birdies in a row off after that, which was great and really turned my round around. It was good fun.
"It’s probably a little bit firmer than it was yesterday. I think the course is brilliant. It can be quite visually wide off the tee but definitely plays a little bit narrower than that. The greens are so undulating and tricky and that’s where you can definitely get found out around this course for sure. Plotting your way into the greens and stuff is really important. I enjoyed the challenge."
Adam Scott: "(When it rained) I think that was when I was truly waking up maybe about 7. It happens. That’s kind of how it’s looking this week and to be expected. You’ve just got to keep making good swings at it and doing what you’re doing. I’ve played in plenty of squalls here and there. I’m just happy to have played a solid round and starting on the right foot anyway."
