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FANLING (Hong Kong), Nov 28: India’s Amandeep Johl found the shortest route around a short course on the opening day of the Hong Kong Open.
The bearded 32-year-old, with his wife acting as caddy, set out towards a first victory in nine years with a six-under-par 63 on a Hong Kong Club course playing to a par 69.
Four players — Welshman Stephen Dodd, Sweden’s Henrik Nystrom, Zimbabwe’s Tony Johnstone and Mexico’s Pablo Del Olmo — are tied in second place at five under par.
A further nine players, among them Scotland’s Dean Robertson, Sweden’s Marten Orlander, Frenchman Thomas Levet and South Africa’s James Kingston are a shot further back at four under par.
Johl last tasted success when he won the 1993 Nepal Open and his best finish since then has been a fifth in last year’s Maekyung Open in Korea.
He began his round steadily moving to one under par through eight holes but jumped to three under par when he eagled the ninth.
Dodd won the longest drive award last year with a booming 348-yard tee shot but his mood after his opening round half mirrored the bleak weather.
Taiwanese teenager, Shih-Kai Lo, meanwhile, created history by becoming the youngest ever player to compete in a European Tour event.
The 13-year old high school student was followed on the first tee by a TV news crew and photographers.
Despite the attention Lo parred his first two holes before taking a double bogey at his third after putting a ball out of bounds before signing for a four over par 73.
63 Amandeep Johl
64 Stephen Dodd, Henrik Nystrom, Tony Johnstone, Pablo Del Olmo
65 Wang Ter-chang, James Kingston, Boonchu Ruangkit, Dean Robertson, Marten Olander, Klas Eriksson, Thomas Levet, Arjun Singh, Soren Kjeldsen
66 Rafael Ponce, Simon Wakefield, Kenneth Ferrie, Peter Baker, Federico Bisazza, Matthew Cort, Clay Devers, SorenHansen, Ross Bain, Barry Lane, Adrian Percey, Gary Rusnak, Matthew Blackey.
COOLUM (Australia) Australian pair Jarrod Moseley and Peter Lonard shared the lead after they carded first round totals of seven-under par 65s in the Australian PGA Championship Thursday.
Moseley fired seven birdies in his faultless round at Queensland’s Coolum course while Lonard had one bogey and eight birdies.
New Zealand’s Greg Turner, who is in semi-retirement, was outright third on six-under par 66 after the 39-year-old had been seven-under after 10 holes. Turner is a former winner of the event in 1999.
Australia’s Greg Chalmers, Andre Stolz and Aaron Baddeley, a two-time Australian Open winner, were equal fourth with rounds of five-under par 67 while fellow countryman Craig Parry had a 68.
65 Peter Lonard, Jarrod Moseley
66 Greg Turner
67 Greg Chalmers, Andre Stolz, Aaron Baddeley
68 Craig Parry, Mark Brown, Adam Le Vesconte
69 Matthew Hazelden, Aaron Byrnes, Steve Collins, Richard Green, Cameron Percy, Michael Long,Terry Price
KAUAI (Hawaii): Tiger Woods fired an 11-under-par 61 Wednesday for a stunning 14-stroke victory in the two-round PGA Grand Slam of Golf, an unofficial event.
After an opening-round 66 at the 7,064-yard Poipu Bay Golf Club course gave him a three-shot lead, Woods stormed away from the rest of the four-player field for a 36-hole total of 127.
Justin Leonard and Davis Love III finished tied at three-under 141, four shots better than PGA Championship winner Rich Beem, the only player over par.
Love shot a three-under 69, Leonard a par 72 and Beem a one-over 73, making it appear that they were playing a different course than the winner.
FINAL SCORES:
127 Tiger Woods 66 61
141 Justin Leonard 69 72, Davis Love III 72 69
145 Rich Beem 72 73.——Reuters
