If there’s such a thing as a Coffs Harbour-ologist, Meghan MacLaren could well be it.

The 27-year-old Englishwoman leads after day one of the Australian Women’s Classic after doing nothing more than resuming normal service on the northern New South Wales coast.

MacLaren, already a winner of Wednesday’s pro-am, carded five birdies and no bogeys around Bonville Resort today to head a crowded leaderboard with a fine 67.

The winner of one of her two Women’s NSW Open crowns at nearby Coffs Harbour Golf Club in 2018, MacLaren joked that the Ladies European Tour should move its base to the Coffs Coast.

“I need to move here (and) I need to get the Tour to set up shop here. I love it here, I can’t complain,” she beamed.

“I am pleased with that score on the whole, I think it is probably the lowest round I have shot around here, but I certainly played well enough to get a couple of more out there.

“But if you go bogey-free anywhere, you have got to be satisfied.”

MacLaren, who began her round on the ninth hole, birdied all three par-5s on the way out and left another couple of putts on the lip, to boot.

On her inward half, she dodged a bullet on the long seventh to scramble a par after being out of position, but cashed in on lovely tee shots on the par-3 third and closing eighth holes.

And it’s hard to see her not being prominent throughout the week, clearly enjoying her return to Australia, her most lucrative hunting ground in her six years as a professional.

“I am in a great place. It was a bit of a rollercoaster emotionally the first couple months of the year just trying to figure out what I wanted to do and what I thought was best for me,” she said.

“But once I drew the line and made the call (to return to the LET from the American feeder tour), I have been really settled and just enjoying my golf and enjoying the process again so just putting some scores together again.”

While MacLaren was fulfilling her post-round media obligations, Victorian Stephanie Bunque provided the biggest roar of the day from the crowd, holing out for eagle on the 18^th in full view of the expansive Bonville Golf Resort clubhouse.

Bunque had been lucky to avoid a watery grave short of the closing par-5 with her long approach, but her sand wedge from the edge of the penalty area took one hop and dived into the hole, sparking a huge roar.

It was the Victorian’s second eagle in a stunning final five holes as she scythed through the field finishing at four under par, having been one-over standing on the 14^th tee.

It left them a shot clear of a gregarious pair in Northern Ireland’s Olivia Mehaffey and England’s Alice Hewson who each showed flashes of brilliance but threw in their share of bogeys in their opening round 69s.

LPGA Tour player and crowd favourite Sarah Kemp looked ominous early on when she birdied the tough 13th hole and left an eagle putt hanging over the hole on the par 5 14th hole, however the Sydney-sider was left to rue a number of missed birdie chances and ended up signing for a one-under par round of 71. 

Round two will get underway at 6:30am local time tomorrow.

Round One Scores & the Round Two Draw can be found HERE