Australian Matias Sanchez shot a seven-under-par 64 on the Remarkables course in fading light at the end of a long day to take the clubhouse lead in the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort today.

He leads from American Kevin Na, who returned a 66 on the same course, and Wade Ormsby from Australia – also in with a 66, but on the Coronets layout.

On a wet and cold opening day the start was delayed by three hours because of heavy rain – that drenched the courses. Nearly half of the field were unable to complete their rounds when play was suspended due to darkness at 20:15 local time in New Zealand. Round one will resume at 07:40am tomorrow.

Kiwi amateur Yuki Miya was the leading player still on the course, on six-under-par with five holes left to play.

Sanchez, who just managed to hole his last putt at 8.26pm, was bogey-free and made four birdies on the front and three on the back.

Kevin Na. Picture by Michael Thomas/Photosport.

“I was just really happy to get it done, get the round in,” said the Australian, winner of the Webex Players Series South Australia last October.

“This [event] is right up there, so to do it here, it’s really special, but I know it’s a quarter of the way down. It doesn’t really mean a whole lot.”

Na was Rookie of the Year on the Asian Tour 24 years ago and today showed he still has what it takes.

The American, who played on the LIV Golf League the past four years following a 19-year career on the PGA Tour, was also bogey free and made five birdies to roll back the years.

He was 19 years old when he won the Volvo Masters on the Asian Tour to help become Rookie of the Year in 2002, and this week at the age of 42 he will attempt to claim his second title on the Tour – in an event jointly sanctioned with the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour.

“I haven’t played competition golf in three months or so, maybe longer, but I feel like there’s a good energy, there’s a positive energy and I’m happy.” he said.

“Mind is fresh and I feel like I have a chance to enjoy golf more.”

Wade Ormsby.

Ormsby, a five-time winner on the Asian Tour including most recently at last year’s Jakarta International Championship, is one of the few among the frontrunners who played the Coronets.  He’ll be hoping to take advantage of switching to the Remarkables tomorrow.

He said: “I’ve never won on the Aussie tour and that’s something that I’ve always wanted to try and do.

“It’s nice to put myself towards the pointy end early in the week.”

Kazuma Kobori is alone in sixth place following a 67. New Zealand’s rising young star, who like Na started on the back nine on the Remarkables, was tied for the lead in the first session on five under playing his last, the par-three ninth, but found water off the tee and closed with a bogey. Earlier the 24-year-old had aced the par-three fourth.

“It was kind of unexpected to get (another) one so soon,” Kobori said of his second hole in one of the season, following his first at the Australian PGA Championship.

“You don’t really expect to hole it on that hole, especially four-iron in hand in these conditions.”

Steven Alker, New Zealand’s 54-year-old 10-time winner on the Champions Tour, Korea’s Bio Kim, Australians Brad Kennedy, Declan O’Donovan and Tim Hart plus Japan’s Ryosuke Kinoshita, Ren Yonezawa and Naoyuki Kataoka are next best placed following 68s.