A round-up of today's golf news
Donald makes early running
US TOUR:Luke Donald hit his lowest round in America for over a year yesterday to take the early lead at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida - and fellow Englishman Brian Davis was only one behind.
Donald, whose last victory came in the same tournament two years ago, returned a six-under-par 64 on the PGA National's Champion Course, roaring home in just 31 strokes.
The 30-year-old from High Wycombe, knocked out in the second round of the Accenture World Matchplay by Angel Cabrera last week, birdied the third, fourth, 10th and 13th before producing a superb tee shot to two feet on the 179-yard 15th.
Donald managed to save par at the next after driving into a bunker and on the 604-yard last pitched to four feet for a sixth birdie of the day.
Londoner Davis, in his fourth season on the US Tour, also kept a bogey off his card.
The 33-year-old matched Donald's outward 33, then picked up further birdies on the 10th, 13th and 16th, where he rolled in a 50-foot putt.
Ernie Els, meanwhile, put last week's first-round hammering by Jonathan Byrd behind him with a 67 and 2001 winner Jesper Parnevik shot 68, but Sergio Garcia could do no better than a three-over 73 and Welshman Richard Johnson was one further back.
LPGA TOUR:Mexico's Lorena Ochoa underlined her status as the world number one with a super 66 that earned the first round lead in the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore.
In her first tournament of the year, the 26-year-old British Open Champion had a faultless round of six birdies and led by one from in-form American Paula Creamer and Japan's Ai Miyazato.
Mhairi McKay was the best of the five British player in the elite 78-player field. She holed a 35-foot putt form off the green at the last for a 73 and was one better than fellow Scots Janice Moodie and Catriona Matthew.
England's Lisa Hall, who earned her place in the elite field with a win in this month's ANZ Ladies' Masters, double-bogeyed the last for a 75 and Wales' Becky Morgan had a 76.
