Michael Hoey made the best use of tranquil conditions at the Black Mountain Golf Club to post a course record eight-under-par 64 and lead the Thailand Classic by a stroke after the opening round yesterday.
The Northern Irishman’s blemish-free round, studded with eight birdies, kept him ahead of Spaniard Carlos Pigem, Taiwan’s Chien-yao Hung and American David Lipsky in the $2 million (€1.75 million) tournament, co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours.
“I hit the ball well, and it suits me that there’s a bit of length off the tee; you can carry a few corners and reach the par fives in two. It has been a long time since I had a bogey-free card,” five-time European Tour winner Hoey said.
India's Shiv Kapur gave himself a nice birthday present with a round of 66 to sit alone in fifth spot. Leaderboard: 8 under – Michael Hoey (after 18 holes) 7 under – Chien-yao Hung (Tpe) (18) David Lipsky (USA) (18) Carlos Pigem (Spa) (18) 6 under – Shiv Kapur (Ind) (18) 5 under – Alex Noren (Swe) (18) Matt Ford (18) Renato Paratore (Ita) (18) Pariya Junhasavasdikul (Tha) (18) Scott Hend (Aus) (18) Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha) (18) Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) (18) Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) (18) 4 under – Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha) (18) Rattanon Wannasrichan (Tha) (18) Jeunghun Wang (Kor) (18) Richard T lee (Can) (18) Masahiro Kawamura (Jpn) (18) Paul Peterson (USA) (18) 3 under – Johan Carlsson (Swe) (18) * 2 over Damien McGrane (Ire) (18)
