Hutson and Hung take charge at New Zealand Amateur Championship

Two of New Zealands leading amateurs have taken charge at the New Zealand Amateur Championship and were joined late in the day by Koreas Kum Kang Park. Mark Hutson and Juliana Hung, along with Park lead by three shots after a stunning day at the Wairakei Golf & Sanctuary.

Hutson was the standout with a round of six-under 66 as he took advantage of the calm morning conditions which included six birdies and zero blemishes to finish three shots clear of defending champion Daniel Hillier and Kerry Mountcastle.

Although Hutson holds a commanding lead after just one round, its all about making the all-important top 32 who qualify for the match play stages of the championship which will be decided tomorrow after two rounds of qualifying.

"It was a really good day, I played steady golf and nailed a few putts but Im just trying to finish as low as I can because you never really know what the top 32 is going to be and you want to just keep pushing," said Hutson.

Its clear that all the players are enjoying the opportunity to play one of the countrys best courses which plays host to over 40 different species of wildlife.

"Its a bit of a gem this golf course and when you get it on days like today, its pretty awesome and you want to take advantage when the weathers so nice."

The cutline for the top 32 is currently sitting at two-over par and if there is a tie for the final place, there will be a sudden death playoff with all players tied on the number.

Juliana Hungs round of five birdies and just one bogey proved once again why she is one of our form players as the Cantabrian looks to add the New Zealand Amateur trophy to her cabinet alongside her New Zealand Stroke Play trophy which she claimed earlier this year.

She was matched late in the day by Kum Kang Park who copied not only her five birdies, but a matching bogey on the 11th hole.

Hung also finished as lead qualifier at last years event at Russley Golf Club to only be knocked out in the second round of match-play. The 16-year-old is aiming to improve on that and some at the Wairakei Golf & Sanctuary.

"I made a couple of big 30-foot putts today which was pretty lucky," smiled Hung.

"I wasnt overly pleased with my round, but its great that I am still leading and hopefully I can keep getting better as the week goes on and improve on last years performance."

2016 New Zealand Amateur champion Rose Zheng is also hovering near the top of the leaderboard as she shows her comfort at this event alongside Australias Lisa Edgar who could be a real threat this week after starting her day with four birdies in a row.

With just 47 players in the field, tomorrow will turn into a day of research and a chance to find form for many, but there are still plenty of golfers lurking on the five-over cutline which could make tomorrow afternoon very interesting.

- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Golf NZ