The 20-year-old shot an opening round six-under par 66 on Tuesday.

He leads New Zealander Blair Riordan by one shot.

Riordan led at the half-way mark - the completion of the morning groups - with a round which featured an eagle on the par five seventh and five birdies.

Three of the birdies came in the space of four holes on the back nine, before he dropped a stroke on the 18th.

Eccleston, who won last year's Queensland PGA Trainee Championship, began with four pars.

He was three-under after nine holes and then made a decisive move with an eagle three on the 10^th hole.

He finished with five consecutive pars.

Eccleston said while he was happy with the round, he would have liked to sink a couple of birdies in the run home.

He described his day as "stress free" - hitting 16 greens in regulation to set up two-putt pars.

Eccleston said he was keen to now build on the start - making the most of similarly ideal conditions over the next two days, with 25 and 27 degrees forecast, before conditions toughened up for the last round on Friday.

Eccleston said he had worked his way into some solid form with a win in a trainee match on October 14 and felt in the right frame of mind to take on a course which suited his naturally aggressive game.

Eccleston and Riordan are part of a tight leader board, with xxxx players within eight players within three shots of each other.

Woodlands first-year trainee professional is one of two players on four-under.

Frazer Droop from New South Wales, who won the national title two years ago, also had a 68.

Droop had an even round with just three birdies to go with an eagle on the 10th.

Joel Ward (Victoria) was one the early leaders in the international field of 96.

He bounced back from a bogey on the first hole to get to five-under after 12.

Unfortunately, he was unable to keep up the pace and finished with a one-under 72.