Despite his frustration with the courses at Melbourne, Cameron Smith has blitzed the first round of the Australian Open.

Smith, the pre-tournament favourite, shot a scintillating six-under 66 at The Victoria Golf Club to start strong but it was another Aussie who stole the show.

Smith’s Ripper GC teammate Lucas Herbert finished his round at eight-under to give him the outright lead.

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While Herbert claimed the lead heading into the clubhouse, Smith’s six consecutive birdies had the massive galleries lining the course in raptures.

The 2022 British Open winner started on the 10th hole and proceeded to drop a shot on the 12th.

But he regained momentum on the 14th hole where he started his six birdies in a row.

Smith finished with another two birdies on the 8th and 9th holes to stay in touch with the top of the leaderboard.

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While the Aussies were putting on a show, Japanese rookie Rintaro Nakano also made his presence known.

The 21-year-old finished with a round of seven-under and was leading with Ryggs Johnston until Herbert took over.

Herbert’s best hole came on the ninth when he finished with an eagle.

“Very happy, didn’t really feel like I held any putts out there until the last two holes so it was pretty nice to post that number even though there’s plenty left in the tank,” Herbert said after his round.

In the women’s event, Aussie Su Oh currently holds the lead after her round of seven-under.