Starting on the back nine at Palmerston Golf and Country Club, the New South Welshman got into his work early with a first birdie of the day at the 11th, followed immediately by his first bogey. That dropped shot at the par-4 12th was his last on Thursday, with Gale accumulating three more birdies on the back nine to turn in 3-under 32.
Three birdies against six pars meant it was the same score to par for the front nine, his second nine. Gale was then largely unchallenged at the top of the leaderboard having been one of the early players out on course, until Victoria’s Andrew Kelly closed with birdies at the eighth and ninth holes having started on the back nine to sit alone in second on 5-under.
Kelly’s 66 included a run of four birdies in a row starting at the 18th, and a second nine with just three pars on the card to draw within one of Gale.
Late on Thursday, Matt Stieger…