By Evin Priest
AMATEUR sensation Brett Coletta has fired a stunning round of 10-under par 62 to take the clubhouse lead during the opening round of the NSW Open.
Only two weeks after becoming the first amateur to win the Queensland Open since Stuart Appleby in 1991, the 20-year-old opened with five birdies and an eagle to make the turn at Stonecutters Ridge at 7-under par en route to equalling the Western Sydney layout’s course record.
Teeing off the 10th, Coletta opened the tournament with a birdie and then picked up consecutive shots at the 13th and 14th before an eagle at the par-5 15th.
After two more birdies on his front nine, the Golf Australia national squad member picked up another three shots coming in to sign for a 62.
“It was all bit of a blur to start, all of a sudden I was seven under through nine. I played nearly almost flawless golf out there. I played exactly to my game plan,” Coletta said.
“It hit exactly to spots where I wanted to, and held my share of putts which usually equals a good score.”
Coletta leads by one shot over Rory Bourke and David Brandson at 9-under par, while Fiji International co-leader Anthony Houston shares fourth place with Matt Millar. US PGA Tour Rhein Gibson is a shot back and is tied for sixth with Matthew Guyatt and amateur Luke Toomey.
Coletta has bounced back from heartbreak last month at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship – where he surrendered the final-round lead to reigning US Amateur Curtis Luck and thus forfeited an invite to the 2017 Masters – by taking out the Isuzu Queensland Open at the Brisbane Golf Club in October.
