Nakajima, Kay leads Master of Amateurs

Becky Kay during round 1 of the Australian Masters of the Amateurs

& copy Anthony Powter

Reigning # AusAm champion Keita Nakajima continued his love affair with Australia after the first round to lead the Australian Master of the Amateurs.

Nakajima, from Japan, blitzed around Australia's No. 1 golf course, Royal Melbourne, with a fine 6-under-par 66 to take a one-shot lead on the world-class amateur field.

World No. 4 Matthew Wolff opened with a cool five-in-a-row 67 to finish second, with Australian youth Connor McKinney and Andre Lautee another chance to share with third.

However, if not for a collection of bogeys in its opening three-under-par round, the day would have belonged to Sydney's Justin Warren who included two eagles in his first nine, highlighted by an ace on the par-3 5th.

Defending champion and Australia's highest placed amateur and David Micheluzzi is well-positioned after a one-under-par 71, while World No. 1 Amateur Justin Suh struggled on the Sandbelt track with an opening of two pairings 74.

Queensland & # 39; s Becky Kay separated from the field early in day one with 48 women with an opening of three under-under-69 to equal the women's track record.

Kay, 19 years old, made a bogey in the first hole, but a sequence of birdies quickly put the day of the Gold Coaster on the right track to hold a one-shot buffer over Sydney's Steph Kyriacou. with a new recording on World No. 80 Julienne Soo, or Victoria.

"It's an early day and there are a lot of great players here," Kay said after the round.

"Anything can happen but I know what you have to do to win, if I keep playing the wave that I know I can play it can be a good week."

Recent ANNIKA Invitational champion Grace Kim is one of five players at even-par including NSW duo Amy Chu and Bella Kil, Jieni Li and Ya Eun Hong.

Follow the scores here.