Spencer Harrison underlined his credentials as one of Australia’s most exciting prospects by outscoring chief drawcard Marc Leishman, but Haydn Barron leads by three shots after day one of the Nexus Advisernet Bowra & O’Dea WA Open.
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Barron’s bogey-free, seven-under-par 65 was a new course record for Mount Lawley Golf Club in Perth and comes in just his second tournament back from a six-month, injury-enforced layoff.
“Golf was just easy today, which doesn’t happen very often, but it’s just the way it was. So I just kind of went with it,” the tall West Australian said.
Seventeen-year-old amateur Harrison was drawn alongside LIV Golf superstar Leishman and WA’s Jordan Doull for the opening two rounds at Mount Lawley and eclipsed both after overcoming a slow start.
A double-bogey at the reachable par-five 12th hole (his third) could have derailed a lesser talent, but Harrison quickly steadied the ship with five straight pars before picking up his first shot of the day with a birdie on 18.
It was the start of an astonishing stretch of holes for Harrison, who found his range superbly to card eight birdies in his final 10 holes, his only blemish being a bogey 5 at the second (his 11th).
During the hot-streak, Harrison reeled in and then overtook his esteemed playing partners, his four-under-par 68 leaving him two clear of Leishman and four clear of fellow Mount Lawley member Doull. It set the early clubhouse lead, and Harrison ended the day in T-2, three strokes off the lead.
Seemingly unfazed by the hundreds of spectators following his group, Harrison showed composure beyond his years and was understandably delighted with his day’s work.
“I feel like as good as I played, I still could have done better today,” he said. “I felt as though I just stuck to my own game and didn’t let anything get to me.
“There were a lot of people out there today, so it could have been very easy for me to let it get away from me, but I feel like I did well just sticking in my lane and playing my game.”
Having first nabbed Leishman’s autograph as an eager pre-teen at the 2019 Presidents Cup, Harrison admitted he gained a lot from the experience of playing alongside one of his idols.
“Yeah, it was cool to be able to play with ‘Leish’,” he added. “He’s obviously one of the role models that you look up to as a kid and one of the best that’s ever played the game from Australia.
“Being able to play with him and see how he manages himself around the course is, I think, really big for me… as well as learning how to deal with crowds and pressure.”
After a six-week break from tournament golf, Leishman was satisfied with his day’s work as he traded five birdies with three bogeys en route to a two-under 70.
“There was a lot of good and a few not so good out there today after six weeks off, but, yeah, happy with two-under to start the tournament,” Leishman said.
“The course is great. There’s a score out there, but you’ve got to take some risks to make birdies on a lot of holes.”
As well as being impressed by the Mount Lawley layout, Leishman was full of praise for Harrison’s sterling efforts alongside him.
“Yeah, he had a great day,” Leishman added. “His last 10 holes, I think he had seven birdies. Hit it great. Got a bright future ahead of him.”
A birdie at the drivable first was the perfect start for Barron, who added three more to reach the turn in 32 strokes.
Back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th holes moved him into outright lead, with his closing birdie the icing on a very satisfying cake.
After his health travails, Barron admitted that he’d entered the week with low expectations and was just relishing the prospect of being back playing competitive golf.
“[I’m] just happy to be out here, which is a bit of a far cry from where I was probably six, 12 months ago,” he added. “So, yeah, just absolutely loving being on course.”
Behind Barron, a crowded leaderboard is jockeying for position with Harrison sharing second with Louis Dobbelaar (Qld), Tom Power Horan (Vic), Cam John (Vic) and Adam Bland (SA).
A clutch of five players at three-under-par includes WA amateur Josiah Edwards, who briefly reached five-under before bogeying his final two holes.
