Thursday, 11 January 2018: Australians Austin Bautista and Peter Fowler share the first-round lead in the New Zealand Masters golf after carding five-under-par 66s at Wainui Golf Club.

Australian golfers Austin Bautista and Peter Fowler have shot five-under-par 66s to share the first-round lead in the New Zealand Masters.

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Bautista, in his second year as a professional, found the Wainui Golf Club layout to his liking on Thursday, making just one bogey.

"I like the way it looks," he said.

He credited his course management and patient putting game for his early position on the leaderboard.

"This is a shaper's course," he said.

"You've got to be able to work it both ways. You never get a dead-straight shot off the tee, especially on the back nine."

Fowler, having finished third in 2017 on the Staysure Tour (formerly the European Seniors Tour), is again showing his ability to compete with his juniors.

He was pleased with his early-season form in conditions made hard and fast by the recent dry weather.

"I drove the ball well, hit a lot of great iron shots and my putting today was the best it has been in the last 12 months, so I'm pretty happy," he said."

Third, one shot back, is New Zealander Daniel Pearce, after missing a birdie chance on the 18th hole.

Winner of the 2017 Queensland PGA Championship, Pearce said he had a solid day, striking the ball well and going for his putts.

"I'm playing aggressive-conservative golf this week, I guess you could call it," he said.

"I'm hitting a lot of irons off tees - I think I only hit two, maybe three drivers. I'm just trying to get into a position to give myself a shot at the green."

The $A100,000 ($NZ109,000) tournament is the first on the 2018 PGA Tour of Australasia schedule.