Sweden's Peter Hedblom shares of the lead after the first round of the Perth International with a four-under par 68 on Thursday.
Peter Hedblom: Tied at the top
The three-time winner on the European Tour needs a victory to ensure his Tour card for next season and sits atop of the leaderboard at Lake Karrinyup alongside Australians James Nitties and Clint Rice, as well as Korea's Jin Jeong. Hedblom is currently in 179th place in the Race to Dubai standings and only a victory in Australia this week will guarantee him a place in the top 110 players ahead of the next season.
THe 43-year-old, ranked a lowly 830th on the latest world rankings, had to go through the Qualifying School last season and hopes to avoid a return trip.
"I'm so far back I need a win or to finish second really," said Hedblom after his round, which included six birdies and two bogeys.
"You have nothing to hold back; you just have to go for everything. You're not happy to finish third or fourth or fifth or sixth or tenth, just play as good as you can.
"The tension is nothing really. Today it felt like any tournament - if I will be leading playing the last day, then maybe I'll feel the tension, but right now it's just one round out of four. It's good to at least have a chance to do it.
"The game is there, you just need a little bit of confidence."
Eight players were one stroke behind the leading quartet, including pre-tournament favourite Dustin Johnson.
"I missed a couple short putts, but other than that, I hit it pretty well," the American said.
"I just have a little bit of a cough which is okay - I'm back to where I feel good enough to play good golf."
The chasing group also includes England's Sam Little and another Swede Fredrik Andersson Hed - who also needs a Tour card for next season.
Defending champion Bo van Pelt started his title defence with a two-under par round of 70.
Several players competing in the event are around the key 110th spot in the Race to Dubai, with Alex Levy (108th), Richard Bland (109th) and James Kingston (111th) all struggling to two-over par 74s.
golf365.com