Min Woo Lee has made a strong start to the Australian PGA Championship, which has begun under a COVID-19 cloud in Brisbane.
The young Scottish Open champion from WA was three under par through 13 holes at Royal Queensland GC, one shot behind leaders Brad Kennedy and Aaron Pike, who were also on the back nine.
The men's event is being run alongside the maiden Australian WPGA Championship, with the women playing in groups with the men and compting for an equal $180,000 first prize.
The tournament's return to Royal Queensland Golf Club, after a seven-year stint at Gold Coast's Royal Pines and 11 years in Coolum before that, comes after the coronavirus shut down Australian competitive golf.
The men's and women's Australian Open have been cancelled for two-straight years, while the 2020 PGA Championship was abandoned and this one was rescheduled from late last year.
The virus has continued to take a toll though, with two men and two women, including trump card Steph Kyriacou scratched on Wednesday after testing COVID-19 positive.
