ADELAIDE, Dec 11: Peter Senior and Steve Collins shot matching rounds of eight-under-par 64 to share the lead after the opening round of the Australian PGA championship on Thursday.

Senior fired nine birdies and a bogey while Collins sunk eight birdies in a flawless round at Coolum on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Rod Pampling birdied each of the last four holes to finish in third place with a 65, one shot clear of Martin Doyle who was outright fourth after a 66.

A group of eight players, including Australia’s former world number one Greg Norman — who had former tennis world number one Lleyton Hewitt carrying his bag, entered the clubhouse a shot back at five-under-par.

Last year’s joint winner Peter Lonard and last weekend’s Australian Masters runner-up Adam Scott were in a group of eight at four-under-par.

Senior gave up fulltime golf this season to spend more time with his family but has shown he has lost none of his touch, finishing 11th in last week’s Australian Masters.

“I was very happy with last week because I hadn’t played for some time,” he said.

“I held it together pretty well last week and today I hit my short irons the best I’ve hit them for a long time.”

Norman made a slow start, parring his first seven holes before a late run saw him climb the leaderboard.

The twice British Open champion, who has not won a tournament for five years, made his own club selection and marked his own yardage as Hewitt caddied for him.

Norman brought his regular caddy, Tony Navarro, with him to Australia but agreed to let Hewitt carry his bags after a request from the former U.S. Open and Wimbledon champion.

Pampling, who played in Norman’s group, was the clubhouse leader for most of the day until being passed late in the afternoon, first by Senior then Collins.

Leading scores:

64 Peter Senior, Steve Collins

65 Rod Pampling

66 Martin Doyle

67 Greg Norman, Craig Parry, Nick O’Hern, Wade Ormsby, Ed Stedman, Jens Nilsson (Sweden), John Sutherland, Matthew Ecob

68 Adam Scott, Peter Lonard, Scott Gardiner, Joe Ogilvie (U.S.), Andrew Tschudin, Steven Bowditch, Peter O’Malley, Grant Dodd—Reuters