New Zealand's Michael Hendry bookended his first round of the Victorian Open with bogeys but in between grabbed nine birdies to shoot a 6 under par 65 and soar to the top of the leaderboard.
The 32-year-old Aucklander is one stroke ahead of veteran Craig Parry, who limped around the Spring Valley course with blistered feet yet still managed to card a bogey-free round of 66.
Queensland rookie pro Rika Batibasaga is outright third after shooting a 68, while a group of six players - including little-known South Australian Max McCardle - signed for 69 to share fourth place.
The strongly-built Hendry, who enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2010 highlighted by his victory at the Indonesia Open on the OneAsia tour, made the most of the benign early conditions and an impressive putting display.
