A bogey on the final hole blew Steven Bowditch’s chance to take the overnight lead after the opening round of the Australian Masters golf tournament.

While the early starters at Metropolitan golf course in Melbourne, including defending champion world No.2 Adam Scott, battled brutal gusting wind, Bowditch enjoyed the benign afternoon conditions.

An eagle at the sixth as well as four birdies helped the 31-year-old from Newcastle to six-under on the par 72 course.

However Bowditch dropped a shot on the par four 18th to bring him back to the field with four golfers sharing the lead including Michael Wright, Stephen Allan and amateur Todd Sinnott.

Scott, who is gunning for a third successive Masters title, shot one-over-par to sit mid-field.

The first round continued a stellar year for US-based Bowditch after scoring a breakthrough victory at the Texas Open in March to rise to world No.91.

It could have been significantly worse for Scott had he not managed a late eagle on the par 5 sixth – his 15th hole after starting on the back nine.

“A strong northerly (wind) from the get go was always going to make it tough,” said Scott.

“Unfortunately I came a little unstuck on 18 and I was scrambling for the rest of the day from there but I managed to salvage a couple of shots and walked off feeling not too bad.”

Scott played in a group with 2006 US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy and 16-year-old amateur Ryan Ruffels, who signed for a three over.

Ogilvy finished at three under and in a group tied for fourth while Lismore golfer Rhein Gibson, who lives in Oklahoma, was at four under.

He described the wind – which gusted up to 60 km per hour – as some of the toughest conditions he had played in Melbourne.

“That’s about as tough as Melbourne can provide weather-wise,” Ogilvy said.

“It was windy from the first hole and we had the tougher nine to start in the northerly.

“I hit the ball better and better as the day went on.”

Wright said it was like the “wild west” but the wind suited his game, with back to back birdies on eighth and ninth holes.

“It was brutal out there,” the 40-year-old Brisbane golfer said.

“I hit the ball underground, really low, so it’s suits me to a tee.”