BRESCIA (Italy), May 1: Australian Peter O’Malley exceeded his own expectations on Thursday when he took a two-shot lead in the Italian Open despite a two-month layoff from tournament golf.

The 37-year-old Sydney professional who bases himself in England for much of the tour season, bounced back from a three-putt bogey at his opening hole to card an eight-under-par 64.

That equalled the Gardagolf course record set by 1997 Italian Open winner Bernhard Langer and it left O’Malley two strokes better than surprise contender from England, Gary Clark.

Italian Open scores

64 - Peter O’Malley (AUS)

66 - Gary Clark

67 - Fredrik Orest (SWE), Ricardo Gonzalez (ARG), Roger Chapman

68 - Stuart Little, Richard Sterne (RSA), Mattias Eliasson (SWE), Matthew Blackey, Tobias Dier (GER), Pierre Fulke (SWE), Andrew Sherborne, Erol Simsek (GER), David J Geall

69 - Gary Murphy, Jose Manuel Lara (SPA), Anthony Wall, Shaun Webster, Marten Olander (SWE), Rolf Muntz (NED), Raul Ballesteros (SPA), Fernando Roca (SPA), Federico Bisazza (ITA), Fredrik Widmark (SWE)

70 - Ben Mason, Gustavo Rojas (ARG), Roger Wessels (RSA), Gary Orr, David Drysdale, Philip Golding, Sam Little, Costantino Rocca (ITA), Colin Montgomerie, Simon Khan, Neil Cheetham, Sven Struver (GER), James Kingston (RSA), Julien Clement (SWI), Neil Cheetham, Simon Wakefield, Ryan Reid (RSA), Jesus Maria Arruti (SPA).

Kang in lead

SEOUL: Local favourite Kang Wook-soon took a two-stroke lead in the first round of the $400,000 Maekyung Open with a five-under-par 67 on Thursday.