16 October 2004	Saturday	01 Ramazan 1425

PULA, Oct 15: Sergio Garcia lived up to his favourite status when the world number 11 took a share of the Mallorca Classic first round lead with compatriot Carlos Rodiles on a stormy Thursday.

Players were called in twice because of thunderstorms before the joint leaders shot rounds of four-under-par 66 that gave them a one-shot clubhouse lead, though 60 players from the field of 126 still have to finish their first round.

Garcia spurned the chance to play for a $1.9 million first prize in the World Match Play Championship at Went worth in England to appear in Pula and ensure he fulfils his mandatory 11 European Tour events for the season.

There was no question of him being 'a big fish in a small pool,' he insisted, even though the nearest player to him in the world rankings is 68th-ranked Briton Stephen Gallacher.

Rodiles has had to battle back to the sort of form that earned him second place in last year's Volvo Masters after a playoff with Swede Fredrik Jacobson. A rib injury caused by an awkward turn in early-season kept him out for 10 events, though he proved his fitness with a second place three weeks ago in the Heritage event.

Spain dominated the clubhouse leader board, with Santiago Luna and Thomas Munoz sharing third place with Sweden's Robert Karlsson. Britain's Simon Khan, who has played 13 holes, and Frenchman Francois Delamontagne, after nine, will resume their rounds on five-under.

Leading first round scores:

66 Sergio Garcia (Spain), Carlos Rodiles (Spain)

67 Robert Karlsson (Sweden), Santiago Luna (Spain), TomasJesus Munoz (Spain)

68 Fernando Roca (Spain)

69 Martin Erlandsson (Sweden), Ricardo Gonzalez (Argentina), Euan Little, Van Phillips, Oyvind Rojahn (Norway), Marcel Siem (Germany), Richard Sterne (South Africa), Marcus Fraser (Australia).

ELS RECOVERS

VIRGINIA WATER: Defending champion Ernie Els recovered from a sluggish start to lead Briton Scott Drummond by two holes with two to play after a rainswept opening day of the World Match Play Championship at Wentworth on Thursday.

The world number two, seeking a record sixth victory in the tournament, trailed Drummond by a hole at the halfway point but found his form to move to the brink of victory when bad light ended play.

The start of the tournament was delayed by two and a half hours due to overnight rain and only one of the eight first-round matches was completed, U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen romping to a record 12&11 victory over American Jeff Maggert.

World number one Vijay Singh was two down to European Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer after 26 of their scheduled 36 holes. Drummond, who sprung to prominence by winning this year's Volvo PGA Championship at Went worth, fired four birdies to stay ahead throughout the opening 18 holes before Els found his range with birdies on the 20th and 21st greens and the South African chipped in at the 22nd to match his opponent's eagle.

Els moved three holes ahead with a birdie on the 27th but Drummond refused to lie down, sinking a 10-foot birdie putt to cut the deficit and making par at the 16th to take the contest into a second day.

Singh, who ended Tiger Woods's five-year reign as world number one last month, struggled to reproduce the form which has brought him eight tournament victories this year.

Langer led narrowly over the early holes before the Fijian's birdie at the 17th left them all square at the halfway point. The 47-year-old German, playing his first World Match Play Championship since 1995, fired four birdies in quick succession to open up a three-hole advantage before Singh struck back with a par at the eighth to retain hope of a second triumph in the tournament.

Goosen surged into a healthy lead as Maggert bogeyed five of the opening seven holes and the South African led by a record-equalling 10 at the halfway point. Maggert improved second time round, matching his opponent's birdies on the fourth and fifth holes, but the contest ended when Goosen birdied the seventh to complete a victory which beat the previous record margin held by American Mark O'Meara with an 11&10 success over Singh in 1998.

First round scores:

Match 1 after holes: 1-Ernie Els (South Africa) v 16-Scott Drummond (Britain) 34

2 up

Match 2: 8-K.J.Choi (South Korea) v 9-Angel Cabrera (Argentina) 33

1 up

Match 3: 5-Padraig Harrington (Ireland) v 12-Chris Riley (U.S.) 32

all square

Match 4: 4-Mike Weir (Canada) v 13-Thomas Levet (France) 32

all square

Match 6: 6-Todd Hamilton (U.S.) v 11-Lee Westwood (Britain) 29

3 up

Match 7: 7-Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) v 10-Steve Flesch (U.S.) 26

all square

Match 8: 2-Vijay Singh (Fiji) v 15-Bernhard Langer (Germany) 26

2 up

Results:

Match 5: 3-Retief Goosen (South Africa) beat 14-Jeff Maggert (U.S.) 12 and 11. -Agencies