Outside Charlestown, Blake Windred has played more golf at The Australian than anywhere else in the world.
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Pennants, training and competition have taken the recently-turned 22-year-old to the Sydney course since he was a teenager.
Windred made the most of that familiarity at his maiden Australian Open, shooting a three-under 68 to be tied sixth and three strokes off the lead after Thursday's opening round.
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"It [The Australian] is like a second home," Windred told the Newcastle Herald.
"A massive bonus to be familiar with everything. Then seeing the grandstands up everywhere and having my friends and family around made it even more special.
"It's basically a perfect course as far as I'm concerned, so to play a championship like the Australian Open is like a dream.
"I wish I could do it every day."
Windred, teeing off the 10th, had the ceremonious first shot of the tournament.
"I had the first shot of the day and it went down the middle as well," he said.
"I hadn't done that before. It's good to be out early, but I was up at 4:15 [am] to get there on time so my warm-up was a little bit rushed."
Windred, who recently turned professional, hit five birdies. He said the highlight was "bouncing back" after a "soft bogey" on five, saving par twice either side of birding seven.
Nathan Green (70) was the next best of the Hunter contingent at one under the card, shooting three birdies but holing a double bogey on the par-three fourth.
Nick Flanagan (71) came home strongly to level out three bogeys and a birdie on his opening nine holes with three birdies and a bogey on the way in, eventually ending up even.
James Nitties (73), Dylan Perry (75) and Aaron Townsend (76) were further back.
More than half of the 144-player field finished even or better after 18 holes.
Japan's Takumi Kanaya and Chinese Taipei's Chun-An Yu (65) shared the overnight lead at six under.
Dimitrios Papadatos (67) was one of three Australians two strokes back at four under.
Windred sits alongside 14 others, including South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen (68).
Victorian Marc Leishman (69) and Spaniard Sergio Garcia (70) were also under par. Four-time major winner Ernie Els (72) and 2013 US Masters champion Adam Scott (75) returned plus scores.
