Heat, storms and spectacular shots mark the DP World Tour season opener in Brisbane – Garcia leads, two hole-in-ones highlight day one.
The new DP World Tour season teed off at Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane under summer conditions and with a strong field of local Australian players. Despite the holiday season approaching, temperatures soared above 30°C as Australia officially enters summer on December 22. A typical summer storm forced the suspension of Thursday’s opening round due to wind and rain.
DP World Tour: Gale aces 11th hole and wins BMW
Despite the weather, the opening event delivered excitement. Spain’s Sebastian Garcia leads the leaderboard at seven under par after 15 holes of a bogey-free round featuring seven birdies. Close behind is Australian Daniel Gale, who made headlines with a hole-in-one on the 11th hole, earning himself a brand-new BMW M5 Touring. The 154-meter par-3 was sponsored by BMW as a hole-in-one prize hole. Gale also carded four birdies and one bogey, sitting at five under after 12 holes. Six other players follow in third place, some having completed their rounds with a score of 67.
🚨 HOLE-IN-ONE 🚨
Daniel Gale aces the 11th and wins a BMW M5 Touring!#AusPGA pic.twitter.com/b2ElaqmxQR
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 27, 2025
Kobori joins ace club without the prize
New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori also recorded a hole-in-one, this time on the 17th hole. However, only the 11th hole carried the BMW prize, leaving Kobori with just the honor. He finished his round at two under par with a 69, placing him tied for 22nd.
Solid starts for Austrian and German players
Austria’s Maximilian Steinlechner also finished at two under par, joining Kobori at T22. His round included five clean holes to start, a birdie on the 6th, and two bogeys offset by three additional birdies. Germany’s Yannik Paul ended the day at one under with two birdies and a bogey, placing T42. Bernd Wiesberger of Vienna and Freddy Schott of Düsseldorf both finished even par, balancing two bogeys with two birdies, currently tied at T59.
Players who didn’t complete their rounds on Thursday will resume play Friday at 6:00 AM local time. The second round will begin at 7:30 AM under continued summer conditions.