![GREAT FORM: Lucas Herbert ponders an approach shot on day one of the Australian PGA Championships on the Gold Coast. Picture: FAIRFAX MEDIA GREAT FORM: Lucas Herbert ponders an approach shot on day one of the Australian PGA Championships on the Gold Coast. Picture: FAIRFAX MEDIA](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/shjDWP57NvFsN4SYJTNkJk/51f3e7f9-393c-42eb-b100-8c5c9e8094ef.JPG/r0_0_1914_2871_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The leaderboard at the Australian PGA Championship on the Gold Coast has a distinct Bendigo flavour.
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Neangar Park Golf Club products Lucas Herbert and Andrew Martin sit inside the top 15 after day one after shooting 68 and 69 respectively, while Bendigo-born Rhein Gibson matched Herbert’s 68.
Kris Mueck recovered after being four-over through seven holes to finish with a two-over par 74.
Herbert, who celebrates his 22nd birthday next week, fired a four-under par 68 at Royal Pines to be in a tie for seventh after his first round, two shots behind leaders Adam Bland and Jordan Zunic.
His impressive round came on the back of a second-place finish at the New South Wales Open and a tie for sixth at last week’s Australian Open in Sydney.
Playing in the afternoon, Herbert made three birdies on the front nine to make the turn at three-under par.
He made his way to five-under par after a birdie at the 17th hole, but a bogey on the 18th saw him sign for a 68.
Martin has strung together some solid performances in the second half of the year and that form continued on Thursday.
The former Australian amateur champion had four birdies and one bogey in his three-under par round.
Gibson, who moved away from Bendigo with his family when he was a primary school student, was two-over par after five holes before sparking his round with four-straight birdies from the sixth to the ninth holes.
Herbert, Martin and Gibson have big guns Sergio Garcia and Marc Leishman for company. Garcia and Leishman both fired rounds of five-under par 67 to be tied for second and look in ominous form for the remainder of the tournament.
Garcia seemed to think he had plenty in the tank despite hardly putting a foot wrong in trying conditions.
"I felt like I played pretty solid; I wouldn't say that it was amazing, but it was good," he said.
Adam Scott birdied his final two holes to finish one-under par.
Scott has survived the scrutiny of rival Garcia as he reintroduced the broomstick putter for the first time since an anchoring ban went into force last year.
He was analysed throughout by playing partner Garcia, who admitted he was keeping an eye on Scott's technique after reforms were introduced prohibiting the long putter from touching the chest.
"I looked at him throughout the whole day and you could see that he was making sure he had it away from his chest," Garcia said.
"We talked about it and he's very cautious to make sure that he's holding it the way you should hold it, make sure he doesn't anchor it at any time."