Victoria Golf Club underwent a dramatic facelift after Thursday's day of high drama as Australian Open organisers found some support in a sea of dissent.

The change from unplayable to receptive conditions was worth as much as 15 shots to an astonished American Charles Howell III.

Delighted that his round of 80 on Thursday was wiped out when the first day's scores were cancelled, Howell responded by leading the tournament with a new course record five under par 65.

One shot behind him was a group of four players - Craig Parry, US PGA champion Rich Beem, Victorian Steve Allan and Queenslander Chris Downes.

"I'm the most improved player," Howell quipped.

But in fact there was a welter of sub-par rounds in contrast to when the glassy greens caused the cancellation of play and a reduction of the event to 54 holes.

Almost all of the players said the move would denigrate the Australian Open - but Howell rejected that, as did star Australian international Craig Parry.

Parry offered strong backing to Australian Golf Union executive director Colin Phillips, who took the brunt of the criticism for the course preparation - perhaps unfairly.

It emerged that Victoria Golf Club had not passed on to the AGU all the facts in relation to the preparation it had done to the greens.

But neither Victorian club captain John Lindsay nor John Sloan, the consultant in charge of course maintenance, would comment on their roles in the controversy.

After shooting a four under par 66 to be one off the pace, Parry revealed he had congratulated Phillips for the action.

"Before I went out I actually went to see Colin Phillips and told him I thought he did a great job cancelling the round," Parry said.

"I've played in a lot of tournaments all over the world where the balls have come off the greens and it has been very tricky.

"Colin has had to do it twice in the National Open.

"I thought it was fantastic. Not one player has come out and said he did the right thing and I think he did.

"Rightly or wrongly, the golf course was not prepared properly for the tournament.

"I think someone should go to him and say: You did the right thing, mate."

Both Parry and Howell said the Open would lose no prestige by being cut to 54 holes.

"Everyone knows that you are still going to have to play very well to in over 54 holes," Parry said.

"I don't think it detracts from anything, everyone knows it is going to be 54 holes - you've got to play well.

"It is not like they are coming in after three rounds and saying, we are not going to play the last round.

"We know from the outset what is happening."

Parry disagreed with several of his colleagues who had called for the final 36 holes to be played on Sunday, when 35 Celsius temperatures were forecast.

"The problem is getting everyone around," Parry said.

"It is a matter of teeing off early, playing one round and then playing another round in the afternoon.

"Especially with the weather getting very hot, you won't be able to keep the water on the greens. It is going to dry out even more.

"I think they had a tough decision and I think they made the right one."

Howell described Thursday as "crazy" and said: "Obviously play had to stop."

He said a 54 hole Open would not denigrate the event.

"The lowest score is still going to win...had we continued to play and counted those scores, that would have detracted from it," he said.

PGA Tour chairman Wayne Grady, who fired a three under par 67, also agreed Thursday's scores should have been wiped.

"I think that is all they could do, the forecast of the hot northerlies on Sunday would have made it very difficult to play 36 holes," Grady said.

"The only other alternative was to go into Monday.

"We try as hard as we can not to use that because there are so many other commitments.

"Fifty-four holes, we can accept that."

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