Amateur golfer Nathan Barbieri shoots a 6-under par 65 to lead after 18 holes of the NT PGA

Amateur day in the opening round of the NT PGA at Palmerston with first round leader Nathan Barbieri and third-placed Jed Morgan topping the bill

NSW amateur Nathan Barbieri on his way to a 6-under par 65 on day one of the NT PGA at Palmerston. Picture: Taylah Somerville

NATHAN Barbieri’s decision to delay turning professional may prove to be costly after the 22-year-old amateur fired an opening round 6-under 65 to take a one-shot lead at the $70,000 Tailor-Made Building Services NT PGA Championship.

In a field boasting tournament winners on the American, European and Asian tours, Barbieri played the front-nine at Palmerston Golf and Country Club in just 30 strokes, closing his round with his sixth birdie in eight holes at the par-5 ninth.

That final birdie shot Barbieri one shot clear of former US PGA player and first day playing partner Michael Sim (66), with another rising amateur prospect, Australian amateur champion Jed Morgan, a further shot back in third.

Runner-up at the 2019 Australian Amateur and winner of the Avondale Amateur in February, Barbieri was planning to use 2020 as his swan song to the amateur ranks.

“I was definitely going to turn pro this year but everything keeps getting cancelled by the minute,” said Barbieri, a member of Monash Country Club in Sydney.

“I just thought that it really wasn’t the right time. There’s only one tournament to play for the rest of the year so it could go either way, be really good or be doing it for no reason.

A bogey on the opening hole was a less than ideal start for Barbieri, but he quickly bounced back with consecutive birdies at 11 and 12 to enter red figures.

“I actually felt pretty good going to the first tee, no nerves or anything,” said Barbieri, who only entered the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament 10 days ago.

“I just needed to get on the course because I haven’t played anything for six months or so.

“I holed a long one from off the green at three which kept the momentum going and then I hit a nice shot into the fifth hole and made birdie there.

“It was good to finish that way because I was struggling a bit with pitching and distance control so to have a few birdies coming in was nice.”

While a 35-foot putt for eagle at the par-5 second was the scoring highlight of Sim’s round, the reigning Queensland PGA champion said it was two good moments of fortune at the turn that enabled him to shoot 67.

“I definitely thought I’d hit it too far left at 18 and was going to be in trouble but it turned out to be OK,” Sim said.

“I hit a poor tee shot into the trees at one but it came out into the rough and I managed to make birdie from 150 and it was probably the turning point for my round.’’

Territorian Aaron Pike, NSW’s Dimi Papadatos and Victorian Deyen Lawson are well positioned after opening rounds of 68, along with Queensland Open runner-up Jack Thompson from South Australia.

Leading scores — 65: Nathan Barbieri (a). 66: Michael Sim. 67: Jed Morgan (a). 68: Aaron Pike, Dimitrios Papadatos, Jack Thompson (a), Deyen Lawson, Justin Warren.