BMW Australian PGA Championship - Day one digest

Local favourite Elvis Smylie entertains the home fans, David Micheluzzi has the honour of hitting the first shot of the 2025 DP World Tour campaign and MK Kim records the first ace of the season already.

Everything you need to know from the first round in Brisbane.

Elvis gets Australian fans all Smylie

Local favourite Elvis Smylie got the Australian fans excited after taking the first-round lead at a rain-soaked Royal Queensland Golf Club. The 22-year-old successfully battled the elements to card eight birdies and two dropped shots and set the daunting clubhouse target of six under. Victor Perez briefly matched his total after being flawless through 13 holes, but a bogey saw him slip back alongside Switzerland's Joel Girrbach, Australian Matias Sanchez and Chile's Cristobal Del Solar at five under. Smylie, who is named after American singer Elvis Presley, outshone a plethora of Australian stars in Brisbane and holds a one-shot lead thanks to a hole out from the ninth bunker - his last. He said: "It's a home game for me this week. I'm from the Gold Coast, it's only an hour's drive. I've played a lot of golf here. I'm quite familiar with the course and every part of my game's really good at the moment. I'm really comfortable with what I'm doing."

Micheluzzi has first tee honours

David Micheluzzi is among the sizeable Australian contingent to tee up at the BMW Australian PGA Championship, but he was the chosen one to hit the opening shot of the new DP World Tour season in Brisbane. He safely negotiated the fairway at the tenth - his first - as he carded seven birdies and three bogeys to sit in a logjam two shots behind leader Smylie at four under. "It was an honour to hit the opening tee shot," Micheluzzi admitted. "It was really cool to do it in your home country. When I was asked, I was quick to say yes. It’s something that I won’t ever forget. Coming through the pathway to the DP World Tour, it has given me a full-time job, which has been fun. You get to see different parts of the world and play with some really good players, it’s been fun. I can’t thank the PGA of Australia enough for what they have done for me."

One round, one ace!

It may be the first round of the 2025 DP World Tour campaign, but we have already witnessed the first hole-in-one of the season. South Korea's MK Kim only needed an eight iron for the 178-yard par-three 11th hole, which landed on the fringe before rolling straight into the cup. What a shot!

Perez moves into contention

The Frenchman was the picture of consistency among the afternoon starters and was dialled in with his irons and his putter as he joined Smylie at the summit after 13 holes. He birdied the second, fifth, seventh and eighth to reach the turn in 32 before a brace from the 12th saw him become joint leader. However, his only dropped shot at the 15th saw him slip to five under, where he remained after parring his way home for a superb opening round of 66. The three-time DP World Tour winner said: "We got most of the good weather, it was a bit rainy at the end, which didn’t help. The back nine plays more difficult so the last few were definitely tricky, but overall very happy with my first day. Getting off to a good start in a tournament is always key to feel like you have a bit of leeway and momentum leading through Friday and then the weekend. There is a lot of strategy that is important on this course. We’ve been fortunate with the rain it has made the greens probably as soft as they have ever been on this track, so I am expecting them to firm up if the weather allows, which I think is what everyone wants. A bit of strategy and holing a few putts goes a long way."

Party Hole celebrates birdies

The 17th hole at Royal Queensland Golf Club is known as the 'Party Hole' due to the cauldron of noise from the spectators and the DJ's music blaring in the background. It was playing 137 yards on day one and the fans, whom majority were wearing buffalo hats, notched up the volume when Australian stars Cam Davis and Lucas Herbert drained lengthy back-to-back birdie putts.