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DULUTH (Georgia), March 31: Phil Mickelson started the final event before The Masters in style by firing a nine-under 63 to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the PGA BellSouth Classic.
Mickelson, who is the defending champ and two-time winner, started off with a bang by going six-under through seven holes on Thursday at the five million dollar event.
With Tiger Woods taking his traditional week off before a major, Mickelson is the headliner here and did not disappoint. Mickelson started with consecutive birdies and, after a par at No. 3, ripped off four birdies in a row to move into second place.
Mickelson carded his only bogey at the par-three eighth. He responded with four more birdies on the back nine.
While Mickelson was hot Thursday, he hardly was the only player to have success, as diminutive Gavin Coles also brought a big game to the TPC Sugarloaf course.
The Australian made sure he stood out with an eight-under 64, which was good for sole possession of second place.
Playing in just his third PGA Tour event of the season, Coles fired seven birdies along with an eagle at the par-4 seventh, with just one bogey.
Charles Warren is third at seven-under, with Joe Durant, Ian Poulter and Scott Parel another shot back.
First round scores:
63-Phil Mickelson
64-Gavin Coles
65-Charles Warren
66-Joe Durant, Scott Parel, Ian Poulter (GBR)
67-David Howell, Brett Wetterich
68-Shane Bertsch, Luke Donald (GBR), Danny Ellis, Padraig Harrington (GBR), Matt Kuchar, Stephen Leaney, Boyd Summerhays, Mark Wilson
69-Retief Goosen (RSA)
70-Fredrik Jacobson (SWE)
71-Alex Cejka (GER), Mathias Gronberg (SWE), Ryuji Imada (JPN), Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP), Ian Leggatt (CAN), Jose Maria Olazabal (ESP), Phil Tataurangi (NZL)
73-Arjun Atwal (IND), Greg Chalmers (AUS), Daniel Chopra (SWE), Tim Clark (RSA), Richard S. Johnson (SWE), Jon Mills (CAN), Craig Parry (AUS), Rory Sabbatini (RSA)
74-Mathew Goggin (AUS), Justin Rose (GBR)
75-Shingo Katayama (JPN), Hidemichi Tanaka (JPN)
76-Steven Bowditch (AUS), Thomas Levet (FRA)
77-Craig Perks (NZL), Henrik Stenson (SWE)
81-David McKenzie (AUS).
PENINA (Portugal): Champion Paul Broadhurst of Britain equalled the Penina course record on Thursday, an eight-under-par 64 carrying him one shot clear after the first round of the Portuguese Open.
Swedish rookie Christian Nilsson bogeyed the last to drop back to second place on seven-under.
Christian Cevaer, bidding to become the second successive French winner on the European Tour after Jean Van de Velde’s triumph at the Madeira Island Open last week, was a further stroke back on 66.
Jarmo Sandelin of Sweden, leader in the first two rounds in Madeira, shared fourth position on 67 with Spain’s Carl Suneson and Briton Richard Finch.
Last year’s victory was Broadhurst’s first for 10 years and Thursday’s opening round was fashioned on a spectacular putting display.
The former Ryder Cup player single-putted a succession of greens and took only 24 putts in a round containing one eagle, seven birdies and one bogey.
First round scores:
64 Paul Broadhurst
65 Christian Nilsson
66 Christian Cevaer
67 Richard Finch, Jarmo Sandelin, Carl Suneson
68 Nicolas Colsaerts, Rafael Gomez, Paul Lawrie, Stuart Little.—Agencies
