MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Lucas Herbert shot an 8-under 63 Thursday at a soggy Victoria Golf Club, including an eagle on his last hole, to take the first-round lead at the Australian Open, with fellow Australian and 2022 British Open champion Cameron Smith two strokes behind.
The Australian Open and Women’s Australian Open are being held concurrently — using alternating tee times — and with level prize money for the second consecutive year at two Melbourne sand-belt courses, the par-72 Kingston Heath (par-73 for the Women's Open) and par-71 Victoria.
Japanese amateur Rintaro Nakano and American Ryggs Johnston shot 65s at Kingston Heath and were tied for second, with Smith tied for fourth after his 65, including six birdies in a row, at Victoria in the men's event which is co-sanctioned with the European Tour.
Pumps worked well into the morning to clear lakes of water left by another overnight Melbourne rainstorm, and preferred lies were in play.
Herbert said it was “sacrilegious” that players could spin their balls back to flags on greens used to being “concrete” on the famed sand belt in southeast Melbourne.
“It’s great condition-wise, it’s just soft and slow, which I know they wouldn’t want here,” he said. "It's probably sacrilegious to come to the sand belt and try and land it past the hole, it’s just not the way these courses are designed to be played.”
Conditions are unlikely to change from a hardness perspective, with more rain forecast for Saturday.
Smith said he may need a score of about 20-under par to win his first Australian Open.
“The course is definitely gettable,” Smith said. “I mean, there’s the greens are soft, and there wasn’t much wind out there this morning. So a lot of those par fives played really quite short . . . if it stays like this, it’ll probably be close to 20-under (to win) if there’s no wind, which is crazy.”
Elvis Smylie, who won last week’s Australian PGA championship at Royal Queensland, where Smith finished second, shot 70 Thursday at Victoria.
Australian Su Oh and South Korean amateur Hyojin Yang were tied for the Women's Australian Open lead at 7-under. Oh had a 66 at Kingston Heath and Yang a 65 at Victoria.
Hannah Green had a 67 at Kingston Heath and was in third place.
After the respective cuts are made, play on Saturday and Sunday will be only at Kingston Heath, site of the 2028 Presidents Cup.
LPGA Tour regular Minjee Lee shot 74 at Victoria while her brother, PGA Tour player Min Woo Lee, had a 71 at Kingston Heath.
Defending champions Joaquin Niemann and Ashleigh Buhai both shot 73s at Kingston Heath.
Wenyi Ding, who gave up his spot in the Masters from winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur and is playing as a European Tour rookie, shot 71 at Kingston Heath and was tied for 35th.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Joaquin Niemann of Chile plays a second shot on the 7th hole during the second round of World Tour Golf Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Auckland was the first major city to ring in 2026 with a fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, followed by a defiant celebration in Australia in the aftermath of its worst mass shooting.
South Pacific countries were the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks stuck midnight in Auckland 18 hours before the famous ball drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks.
Australia’s east coast welcomed 2026 two hours after New Zealand. In Sydney, the country's largest city, celebrations were held under the pall of Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years. Two gunmen targeted a Hannukah celebration at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, killing 15 and wounding 40.
A heavy police presence monitored the thousands who thronged to the waterfront to watch a fireworks show centered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Many officers openly carried rapid-fire rifles, a first for the annual event.
An hour before midnight, the massacre victims were commemorated with a minute of silence while images of a menorah were projected on the bridge pylons. The crowd was invited to show solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns urged Sydney residents not to stay away through fear, saying extremists would interpret smaller crowds at New Year’s Eve festivities as a victory.
“We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime and say that we’re not going to be cowered by this kind of terrorism,” he said.
In Indonesia, one of Australia’s nearest neighbors, cities scaled back festivities as a gesture of solidarity with communities devastated by floods and landslides that struck parts of Sumatra island a month ago, claiming more than 1,100 lives.
The capital, Jakarta, was not ringing in 2026 with its usual fanfare, choosing subdued celebrations with a program centered on prayers for victims, city Gov. Pramono Anung said last week.
Makassar Mayor Munafri Arifuddin urged residents of one of Indonesia’s largest cities to forgo parties, calling for prayer and reflection. "Empathy and restraint are more meaningful than fireworks and crowds,” he said.
Concerts and fireworks on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali were canceled and replaced with a cultural arts event featuring traditional dances.
Hong Kong, too, was ringing in 2026 without the usual spectacle in the sky over iconic Victoria Harbor, after a massive fire in November killed at least 161 people.
The facades of eight landmarks were turning into giant countdown clocks presenting a three-minute light show at midnight.
Many parts of Asia welcome the new year by observing age-old traditions.
In Japan, crowds were gathering at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo for a bell striking at midnight. In the South Korean capital, Seoul, a bell tolling and countdown ceremony were being held at the Bosingak Pavilion.
Tourists and Berliners alike marked the end of 2025 by enjoying snowfall, taking selfies and making snowmen in front of the German capital's cathedral and the iconic Brandenburg Gate. The Berlin TV Tower was nearly invisible thanks to the falling flakes and fog.
Greece and Cyprus were ringing in 2026 by turning down the volume, replacing traditional fireworks with low-noise pyrotechnics, light shows and drone displays in capital cities. Low-noise fireworks avoid the explosive bursts that generate the loud cracks of traditional displays.
Officials in the countries said the change is intended to make celebrations more welcoming for children and pets, particularly animals sensitive to loud noise.
Police in New York City will have additional anti-terrorism measures at the Times Square ball drop, with “mobile screening teams” in search of suspicious activity. It is not in response to a specific threat, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Zohran Mamdani will take office as mayor at the start of 2026. Two swearing-in ceremonies are planned, starting with a private ceremonial event around midnight in an old subway station.
Saaliq reported from New Delhi, India. Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.
The police stand guard during the 2026 Taipei New Year's Party celebration in front of the Taipei City Government Building in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
People gather to celebrate the New Year at the Zojoji Buddhist temple, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A Buddhist prays in front of lanterns on New Year's Eve at the Jogye temple in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the New Year celebrations in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Swimmers enter the water during the traditional Sylvester swim at lake Moossee in Moosseedorf, Switzerland, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP)
A child poses for a photo with a prosperity decoration to welcome 2026 Year of the Horse, following the Chinese zodiac at a shopping district on new year's eve, in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A person walks by illuminated decorations on New Year's Eve in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge as New Year's celebrations begin in Sydney, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge as New Year's celebrations begin in Sydney, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora, hosts of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026," in New York at the New Year's Eve Times Square Ball on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
A vendor sells New Year's eve party goods at a market in downtown Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)
A families pose for a photo with a prosperity decoration to welcome 2026 Year of the Horse, following the Chinese zodiac as people visit a shopping district on new year's eve, in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A child poses for a photo with a prosperity decoration to welcome 2026 Year of the Horse, following the Chinese zodiac at a shopping district on new year's eve, in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
