Portmarnock’s Conor Purcell likely needs the lowest round of his fledgling professional career to make the cut in the Emirates Australian Open.

The Dubliner (22) opened with a six-over 77 at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney to lie tied 135th in the 144-man field, six shots outside the projected cut mark.

“I hit the ball well to start off but got nothing out of it,” said Purcell, who followed bogeys at the second, eighth and 12th with a double-bogey six at the 13th before dropping another shot at the 17th.

“I struggled with reading the greens and my distance control with my irons was a bit off as the ball was travelling very far in the air.

“I got a tough break on 12 hitting off a tree just off the fairway and it stayed up there. Overall I had some chances but didn’t take them. Low one needed tomorrow to make the weekend.”

Two amateurs hold the first round lead. Scores

World No 1 Takumi Kanaya of Japan, who won on his last start on the Japan Tour, and Thailand’s world No 6 Chun-An Yu carded six-under 65s to lead by two strokes from Australia’s Matt Jones, Dimitrios Papadatos and Daniel Nisbet.

Of the leading lights, England’s Paul Casey shot a three-under 68 to share 21st as Sergio Garcia shot 69 and defending champion Abraham Ancer a 70.

Former Masters champion Adam Scott (39) has work to do to make the cut, however, after carding a four-over 75

"This course doesn’t give you a lot of room on your start-lines and I paid the price," Scott said. "I can turn things round though. I have an idea where the ball is going now. 

"My target is to shoot under-par for every nine holes over the next three days. And if I throw in one really low nine I might be somewhere near the mark."