Leaves Bateman tied for the lead
opened with a birdie in chilly conditions, before adding three more to his scorecard.
His only bogey was on the par three 18th, after his tee shot sprayed left and barely missed the drink.
‘‘I probably would have preferred it in the water. I would have had less for bogey from dropping it than I probably did being left of the water.’’
Murray looked anything but the rookie pro he is after his eight-under 63 opening round – his best since turning pro in November – at Millbrook.
At a glance
Leading scores after round 1 of the New Zealand Open at the par The Hills [TH] (a- denotes amateur) and the par 71,
6362 Metres Millbrook [MB]:
63: Zach Murray (AUS)
Ryuko Tokimatsu (JPN)TH, Harry Bateman (NZL)TH.
66: Kodai Ichihara (JPN) TH, Maverick Antcliff (AUS)MB.
Panuphol Pittayarat (THA)TH, Ashley Hall (AUS)TH, Yoshitaka Takeya (JPN)TH, Jamie Arnold (AUS)MB, Berry Henson (USA)MB, Cameron John (AUS)MB, Jang Hyun Lee (am, KOR) MB, Travis Smyth (AUS) MB, Daniel Gale (AUS)MB, Josh Geary (NZL)MB.
Nick Flanagan (AUS) TH, Poom Saksansin (THA) TH, Jason Norris (AUS)TH, Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA)TH, Tim Wilkinson (NZL)TH, Steven Jeffress (AUS)TH, Adilson da Silva (BRA)TH, Dimitrios Papadatos (AUS)TH, Mikumu Horikawa (JPN) TH, Adam Bland (AUS)MB, Ryan Fox (NZL)MB, Steven Alker (NZL)MB, Daniel Pearce (NZL)MB, Rick Kulacz (AUS)MB, Rattanon Wannasrichan (THA)MB, Dongwoo Kang (KOR)MB, Jarryd Felton (AUS)MB, James Anstiss (NZL)MB, Mark Brown (NZL)MB, Jack Wilson (AUS)MB.
The 21-year-old didn’t miss a green, and rolled in eight birdies with his putter to exceed his father’s 54th birthday wish.
‘‘He messaged me [on Wednesday] night and said, ‘65 would be nice, considering I was born in 1965,’. I added a couple of years onto him today with 63. I spoke to him before quickly and he said he doesn’t mind. Happy birthday to dad, I suppose,’’ Murray said.
New Zealand’s former US Open champion Michael Campbell shot a 72 on his long-awaited return to competitive golf.