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PACIFIC PALISADES (California), Feb 17: Defying a pounding head and high fever, twice champion Fred Couples moved into early contention with a five-under-par 66 at the Nissan Open on Thursday.
Couples, who became sick at last week’s Johnnie Walker Classic in Australia, mixed six birdies with a bogey at the Riviera Country Club to end the first round two strokes behind co-leaders Justin Rose of Britain and American Dean Wilson.
Couples, winner at Riviera in 1990 and 1992, said he could hardly function on Wednesday when he was forced to withdraw from the pro-am tournament.
Starting on the 10th tee, the 1992 U.S. Masters champion sliced his drive right into a bunker and overshot the green with his approach. Although his chip back ended up just four feet from the pin, he missed the par putt.
A winner of 15 titles on the PGA Tour, Couples last tasted victory at the 2003 Houston Open.
First round scores:
64 - Justin Rose, Dean Wilson
66 - Fred Couples, Billy Mayfair, Jesper Parnevik
67 - Rod Pampling, Harrison Frazar, Rory Sabbatini, Chad Campbell, Tom Lehman, Corey Pavin, Trevor Immelman
68 - Charles Howell, Pat Perez, Kevin Sutherland, Olin Browne, Stuart Appleby, Adam Scott, Joey Sindelar, Kevin Na, Jeff Brehaut, David Duval, Peter Lonard, Arron Oberholser
69 - Tiger Woods, Greg Owen, Luke Donald, KJ Choi
KUALA LUMPUR: Welshman David Park brushed aside a two-pronged Thai challenge to top the leaderboard of the Malaysian Open after the second round on Friday.
Park, 30, carded an eight under 64 to move to 13-under par in the co-sanctioned event, a stroke clear of Thai duo Thammanoon Srirot and Thongchai Jaidee.
Park was among 64 players able to finish the second round before a mid-afternoon storm lashed the course.
Leading scores:
131 - David Park, Wales 67-64
132 - Thongchai Jaidee 69-63, Thammanoon Srirot 67-65
133 - Soren Kjeldsen 70-63
134 - John Bickerton 66-68, Charlie Wi 66-68
135 - Keith Horne 68-67
136 - Chinarat Phadungsil 70-66-
137 - Danny Chia 70-67, Paul Dwyer 71-66, Mikael Lundberg 68-69.—Agencies
