Chris Hanson on way home despite carving nine shots off first-round score in Queensland

His first-round 80 in strong winds at the RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast left him facing an early flight home, but he recorded a one-under-par 71 with birdies at three and 15 to go vlose to making the weekend's action.

He had a solitary bogey on his card, in stark contrast to Thursday when as well as four bogeys he had two triple bogeys.

"Nine shots better today. What a strange game it is," the Woodsome Hall player commented on Twitter.

The 30-year-old only gained his European Tour card two weeks ago and tied 44th in the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa last week after only two full days back home.

Consolation is that he is on the way home to wife Laura and children Jessica, three, and one-year-old Olivia.

Swede David Lingmerth holds a one shot lead at the halfway stage of the Championship in Queensland.

Lingmerth’s win at Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament in June has helped him leap over 100 paces in the world rankings in 2015, and he became an Affiliate Member of The European Tour for 2016 in a bid to make Darren Clarke’s Ryder Cup team.

The 28-year-old’s chances of a perfect start to his qualification bid were strengthened as a four-under-par 68 gave him a one-shot lead on three under.

Not that Lingmerth is the only player with a chance to become the first European to win the event since David Howell in 1998, with England’s Mark Foster and Spain’s Pablo Martin Benavides part of a seven-strong group tied for second on two under.

American Peter Uihlein is also part of a strong European Tour challenge in the week that the 110-year-old event makes its first appearance on The Race to Dubai International Schedule.

South Africa’s overnight leader Zander Lombard, his compatriot Dylan Frittelli, and Australia’s Matthew Millar complete the group one behind Lingmerth, with England’s Tom Lewis and Australia’s Jason Scrivener among those a shot further back in a tie for eighth.