A noble Aussie tradition first followed by the likes of Geoff Ogilvy, Aaron Baddeley and Robert Allenby, has been restored and Geoff Drakeford is well at home with his eight friends in the minibus as he leads the Carrick Neill Scottish Strokeplay Championship at Panmure.
The 22-year-old is one of nine Australian players travelling the top events on the European amateur circuit in the same van, and he stormed round the Barry links in five-under-par on Friday to take the early lead in the Scottish, the fourth leg of the series of top events for elite amateur players in Europe.
The trip has become a tradition for recent generations of Australian players, with former US Open champion Ogilvy saying his Grand Tour in 1998 was one of the best experiences of his career.
More recently the puritans at Golf Australia have clamped down on the off-course activities of the touring Aussies, placing an alcohol ban on any player travelling under their banner.
Happily, Drakeford is touring with the backing of the Victoria Institute of Sport from his home state, and therefore has no such strictures.
However he was mature enough to celebrate Friday’s performance with a simple glass of water.
“It’s always a great trip,” he said.
“And we really look forward to coming here and especially playing St Andrews. It’s even better when the weather’s as good as this you can’t compare last year at Southerness.”
It was on his inward half into the wind that he really found his stride, picking up birdies at four of the last seven holes, and not recording a single bogey in the warm sunshine.
Such conditions and only a gentle breeze might have left the course open to attack, but its own defences were sufficient to ensure only a scattering of red figures on the scoreboard.
Huddersfield’s Nick Marsh, in the final group of the day, began in spectacular style with a birdie-eagle-birdie charge on the first three holes, but finished every one of the next 15 in par to lie in second on his own at four-under.
Walker Cup hopeful Paul Howard from Southport & Ainsdale is two shots behind Drakeford, with Rhys Pugh, twice a GB&I cap and still only 21, a stroke further adrift after a 68.
The best-placed Scots are Tantallon’s Calum Hill and Greg Smail of Craigielaw, both recently returned from completing their first years at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
Hill had a chance to be closer to the leader but bogeyed the 15th and 18th.
Blairgowrie’s Bradley Neil and Cawder’s Jamie Savage Scotland’s two in-form players of the early season both shot 70s, as did Craigie Hill’s Daniel Young, who birdied the first two holes but eventually settled for a par round.
Leading Angus county contender was Carnoustie’s Daniel Elder on 71.