04 February 2005	Friday	24 Zilhaj 1425

SYDNEY, Feb 3: A double bogey on the penultimate hole cost South African Trevor Immelman the outright lead on the opening day of the Classic at Royal Melbourne on Thursday.

Immelman finished the day in a three-way tie for the lead with Englishman Steve Webster and Australian Peter Lonard after matching rounds of six-under-par 65. They were a shot clear of Colombian Camilo Vilegas, Australian Brad Lamb and another Englishman, John Binkerton.

South African Ernie Els, chasing his fourth successive win in Australia's richest golf tournament, shot a course-record 60 in the first round last year but could only manage a one-over-par 72 this time around.

The world number three made three birdies in four holes on the way home but spoiled his card with four bogeys. His countryman Immelman played the back nine first on a wet and windy day and went out in just 29 after making six birdies in seven holes.

The 25-year-old picked up another two shots on the way home to reach eight-under-par before he came unstuck after misjudging the wind at the par-three eighth hole. He drilled a five-iron off the tee into a front bunker guarding the green and took a five to drop back to six-under.

Winner of the Australian Open and Australian PGA titles in November and December, Lonard collected three birdies on the front nine and another three coming back in a flawless round of 65 but was still not happy.

Englishman Steve Webster joined the two leaders at six-under after 12 holes. He slipped back to five-under with a bogey at 14 but picked up another shot on the par-4 16th to finish the day with a share at the top.

Vilegas made five birdies in his flawless round but Lamb and Binkerton both had up and down days. Binkerton made seven birdies and two bogeys while Lamb collected four birdies and a bogey and an eagle-two at the 304m fifth hole. Scotsman Colin Montgomerie also had a mixed day, with seven birdies and four bogeys, to finish in a group of eight players in the clubhouse at three-under.

Thursday's tee off times were delayed by two and a half hours to allow tournament organisers to clean up after the course was drenched by 24 hours of heavy rain. Eight groups were still on the course when darkness began to fall and were told to complete their first rounds on Friday morning.

FIRST ROUND SCORES

65 Steve Webster, Peter Lonard, Trevor Immelman

66 Camilo Villegas, Brad Lamb, John Bickerton

68 Simon Dyson, Adam Crawford, Jarrod Lyle, James Nitties, Colin Montgomerie, Nick Dougherty, Simon Wakefield (Britain), Mark Foster

69 Graeme Storm, Soren Kjeldsen, Chris Hanell, Miles Tunnicliff, Mads Vibe-Hastrup, Nick O'Hern, Lee Slattery, Craig Parry, Stephen Gallacher, Simon Khan, David Smail, Henrik Stenson, Jamie Donaldson. -Reuters