Golf: Graeme Mc Dowell leads the Irish charge at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai with a first round 69. The Ulsterman trails leader Keegan Bradley, who began with a seven-under-par 65.
McDowell’s 3 under par puts him tied for ninth place, with compatriot Rory McIlroy a little further back on two under par and tied for 18th after a first round of 70.
The 25-year-old Bradley, whose play-off victory at the USPGA Championship in
August came in the first major of his life, had an eagle and five birdies in a flawless display.
Bradley leads by two from compatriot Bo Van Pelt - winner in Malaysia on Sunday - and Swedes Alex Noren and Fredrik Jacobson.
Justin Rose did best of the British contingent with a 68, while Lee Westwood, runner-up last year, shot 69.
This time last year Bradley was graduating from the ‘second division’
Nationwide Tour in the United States, but he is now a star of the game.
Last month he beat the season’s other major winners McIlroy, Charl
Schwartzel and Darren Clarke to lift the PGA Grand Slam and he continued that form in only his second world championship.
Playing with Westwood and Australian Adam Scott, he started with a birdie on the 401-yard 10th, added another on the long 14th and then holed a 15-foot eagle putt at the 538-yard 18th.
Further shots were then picked up on the second and fifth.
To the surprise of many, Bradley was not given a spot in America’s Presidents Cup team for the coming match in Australia.
Captain Fred Couples made an early decision to include Tiger Woods whatever his
Form - he is now outside the world’s top 50 - and handed his other wild card to FedEx Cup winner Bill Haas.
Westwood came close to an albatross at the 594-yard 14th, his approach over the water hitting the flag and stopping less than two feet away.
McDowell and Simon Dyson also finished the day three under, McDowell after a real rollercoaster ride.
He reached four under early on, triple-bogeyed the short 17th after hitting his tee shot into the bushes, but then came back from a bogey at the first with three birdies in the next four.
McIlroy, watched by girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki for the first time in competition, has work to do if he is to make it two wins in a row.
After picking up golf’s biggest cheque of €1.25million in the Shanghai Masters the 22-year-old kicked off with a bogey, but it was to be his only dropped shot and birdies came at the 18th, sixth and eighth.
England’s 20-year-old Tom Lewis managed only 78 in his first world championship
round - he qualified by winning his third event as a professional last month - and 18-year-old Matteo Manassero fared even worse with an 82 to bring up the rear of the 78-man field.
Fellow Italian Francesco Molinari, the defending champion, was five under with two to go, but found water on both of them and fell back to two under.
