A golfer who has played more times at Royal Melbourne than he can count and another who won on the famed course last year rose to the top of the Australian Masters leaderboard on Friday.

Local knowledge meant plenty as 22-year-old Nathan Holman, in his fifth event as a professional, and fellow Victorian Matthew Griffin both shot six-under-par second rounds of 65.

Holman was in the lead on nine-under after the morning session, with Griffin a shot back and tied for second with first-round leader Nick Cullen.

Both Holman and Griffin live minutes from the course.

Griffin, 30, who has won twice on the OneAsia Tour in the past two years, grew up working on the practice range.

A perk of the job was that once he knocked off, he was free to play the course as much as he wanted, giving him an invaluable bank of knowledge on how best to play each hole.

“A course like this, it’s such an advantage to know the different winds and what clubs to hit and where to leave the ball,” Griffin said.

Holman, who has finished inside the top 20 in three of his previous four events as a professional, felt similarly comfortable.

He has played the course often and can draw on memories of winning the Australian Master of the Amateurs Championship at Royal Melbourne last year.

Holman birdied all three par threes and holed a bunker shot for an eagle on the par 4 sixth, giving him a remarkable four twos for his round.

Having started on the 11th, his eagle was part of a stunning finish, in which he picked up six shots in his last eight holes.

The confident youngster said he wasn’t surprised by the fast start he had made in professional ranks.

He would relish a chance to take on world No.2 and defending champion Adam Scott this weekend.

“There would be nerves, but I’m ready to accept the challenge,” Holman said.

“I’d love to be able to play with him and try to go head-to-head with him and hopefully it’s on Sunday.”