Rare form ... first-round leader Daniel Popovic blasts from a bunker during his stunning round of 64 at Coolum. Photo: Getty Images
VICTORIAN bolter Daniel Popovic will draw inspiration from his sick father as he boldly backs himself to hold off the big guns at the Australian PGA Championship and turn a brilliant first round into a dream tournament victory.
The little-known 26-year-old caught fire at Coolum, rattling off nine birdies in his round of 64 to upstage the tournament fancies and put himself in a prime position going into the second round. He leads by two over Perth's Scott Strange, with Geoff Ogilvy just three shots back.
It's unknown territory for Popovic, who has played a dozen tournaments around the country this year, making the cut in half and fighting a recent battle with the putting yips.
All that was forgotten in his opening round at a blustery PGA. While pre-event favourite John Senden struggled in the south-easterly winds to finish one over the card, Popovic played with the confidence and poise of a man with a far more decorated golfing resume.
Seeing an unfamiliar name on top of the first-day leaderboard isn't uncommon but Popovic insists he's not going to crumble and tumble down the ranks as he heads towards the weekend.
In an emotional press conference, he said he was drawing strength and inspiration from his father Radi, who is battling a rare form of cancer called multiple myeloma, a crippling disease of the bones that can be treated but not cured.
''My father, earlier on in the year, he found out that he has cancer,'' Popovic said. ''It really shook me around a lot. It still sort of does when I think about it. But I find a lot of strength in him, how he's fighting that and how he really wants me to push forward with my golf and find happiness through him.
''It's one that is unable to be cured. It is a slow-growing cancer but you are unsure of when the actual day will come. But he is a strong man and a very stubborn man and I think he'll be here for a little while longer.''
Radi has restricted movement but was in Sydney last week to see his son tee off in the Australian Open, where he finished in a tie for 62nd after ending the weekend at 11 over the card.
Popovic said Radi, along with his mother Mila, would have spent the day in emotional fits as he blitzed the PGA field and at one stage, flirted with a 59 as he stroked five straight birdies from the 17th to the third. ''That was some of the best golf that I've played in my life,'' he said. ''There were times there where I even surprised myself how confident I was with the way that I was hitting it.
''My mum and dad will be over the moon. They will be in tears. They're very sensitive people. My mum would have been bawling her eyes out all day.'' Despite never being in the mix before at such a big tournament, Popovic won't be content to leave the Sunshine Coast with some good memories and life lessons. He believes he is hitting the ball so well he can contend, with much hinging on his form with a new putter that has given him a fresh lease of life on the greens.
''I'm going to try my best to finish off this tournament. I've put myself in a fantastic position to go out there and give it a fair crack,'' he said. ''I'm just hitting it so good. I want to go out there and play every shot on its merit, the old saying of take it one shot at a time. I think if I hit it as good as I have done in the past two months, it's going to be hard for me to shoot a bad score.''
Strange was the early clubhouse leader, shooting a bogey-free 66 to make of the most of the stiller conditions for the morning groups. He is one clear of Ogilvy, Xin Jun Zhang from China and Singapore's Tze-huang Choo, who all returned 67s.
Ogilvy won here in 2008 and, along with the revitalised Peter Senior (68), looks the biggest threat on the front page of the leaderboard.
Ogilvy played with Popovic during a practice round on Tuesday and he said he was thrilled to see the Victorian set the early pace.
''We played on Tuesday actually. I must have given him a good lesson. It's a great story,'' he said. ''Eight under is a good score anywhere. He's doing pretty well.'' Popovic said he wasn't sure if his father could come up from Melbourne should he be in contention on Sunday. But if he was - and he did - it would mean the world to both of them.
''I'd love nothing more than my dad to see me here with an opportunity to win,'' he said. ''Whether that can happen or not, I'm not really sure. And another thing, he's terrified of flying.''
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