On the back of an opening round of 8-under 64, Voke spent Thursday night cultivating his YouTube channel and then matched Sydney amateur Declan O’Donovan’s 9-under 63 in Round 1 to be 17-under at the halfway mark.

His two-round 127 is the lowest 36-hole total this season on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and betters the previous tournament record of 128, set by Grace Kim at Bonnie Doon in 2022.

When he’d signed his scorecard, Voke was a seven-stroke leader, but that lead was reduced to two late on Friday when O’Donovan shot 6-under 66 to play his way into the final group on Saturday for the third time this season.

Another amateur, Jazy Roberts, impressed playing partner and tournament host Peter O’Malley for a second straight day with a round of 7-under 65, bringing her to a 13-under total – five back of Voke.

The New Zealander birdied four of his first five holes on Friday morning, before a hiccup and a dropped shot at the par-4 seventh. Voke, who finished tied for fifth at Castle Hill last year, closed out his front nine with two more birdies.

A second bogey at 10 ignited something in the two-time PGA Tour Series China winner. Playing predominantly on the Asian Tour this year, Voke birdied the 11th and then added four more straight from the 13th.

“Maybe there’s a secret in being a part-time player,” Voke joked in response to the suggestion from a competitor that they were being beaten by a YouTube golfer.

“Maybe that’s the key. Who knows? Someone asked me the other day what percentage of my golf is pro and what percentage is YouTube. I kind of said like 80 percent pro, 20 percent YouTube stuff, and I reckon there’s a secret in that 20 percent helping the 80 percent.

“There are a couple of components to it. There’s something to look forward to away from the golf course. I think that’s really critical.

“Secondly, I’ve learned so much about myself playing with them, and I can use those lessons when I compete.

“I’ve gone through a bit of a journey recently, and the last six months have been incredible. I’m excited for the next six to see what happens.”

Also excited for what’s ahead is O’Donovan.

Popping up in the final group at the Queensland PGA and, most recently, the Vic Open, O’Donovan had fellow Avondale Golf Club members and coach Ben Patterson in the gallery on Friday afternoon to watch his round of 6-under.

“I’ve had a couple of tournaments in a row now where I’ve had some low rounds,” said O’Donovan.

“In some situations, I haven’t backed it up, and in others, I have. I think I’m getting into a nice groove of how to back those days up.

“I love when there are eyeballs watching. That’s something I’ve always loved. Especially when I’ve got friends and family watching and they get to see what I practise every day to do.

“It’s lovely, but when I’ve got a big crowd, it makes the good shots even better.”

There were also plenty of good shots from the chasing pack, who must have wondered at times if they were playing a different golf course from the leading pair.

Roberts followed the script of her fellow amateur when discussing the prospect of bigger crowds and TV cameras over the weekend.

“I’m not generally too fazed by people watching or anything else that’s going on around me,” said Roberts, whose first TV appearance was as the winner of the Webex Junior Players Series at Rosebud Country Club in 2023.

“The last two days, I haven’t really done much thinking. I’ve just kind of gone out and played, and it’s been pretty decent. The putter has been working nicely. Hopefully, that continues.”

Continuing his good form, former Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winner Jake McLeod sits behind Roberts at 11-under, one stroke ahead of Nathan Barbieri, Jack Munro, Quinn Croker, Webex Players Series Perth winner Jordan Doull, and the sister of last year’s Castle Hill winner, Momoka Kobori.

Travis Smyth is next best, alongside Adam Bland at 9-under, after the New South Welshman made the eighth hole-in-one of the Tour season on Friday.

The hopes of the chasers over the weekend are certainly not forlorn, given the low scores through 36 holes, assisted by the pure conditions of the Castle Hill layout.

“The last couple of days, I played very solid, and I’m happy with the way I played, but there are definitely a lot of shots out there which I could have gained,” Kobori said, no doubt echoing the thoughts of all those chasing Voke.

“You never really know what happens in a round, but I think there’s a chance that I could probably get a low one in. We’ll see how it goes.”