Golf:James Morrison fired a superb 62 to take a share of the first-round lead at the Singapore Open on nine under par alongside Edoardo Molinari. Morrison carded 10 birdies and just one bogey over the Tanjong Course to draw level with Molinari, who had set the early clubhouse lead in the event co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours.
Reaching the turn four under par, Morrison began the back nine with four consecutive birdies before a fine approach at the 15th brought another. His lone blemish of the day came at the par-three 16th when he missed the green from the tee, but he recovered the shot at the next hole.
Molinari, also playing the easier Tanjong Course, had earlier set the clubhouse mark with a 62 of his own. The Italian collected four birdies and a bogey, at the ninth, to cover the front nine in three under par and then turned up the heat coming home.
The 30-year-old reeled off six birdies that included three in a row from the 12th and finished in style when a close approach to the par-four 18th garnered a three and moved him to nine under.
“It was a very good round — I missed a few shots out there but the putting was excellent today, which is probably the first good round of putting that I have had in a while,” Molinari said.
“I probably had 25 or 26 putts today but the most important thing was that I holed everything inside 10 feet, which is what you have to do on this course because it is very short and important to make a good score here. I would have been happy with five or six under at the start of the day so I am very happy with it.”
The duo led 2009 US PGA champion YE Yang by a stroke after the South Korean posted a 63. Reaching the turn in 32 following two birdies and an eagle, Yang picked up three more shots before pulling his tee shot on the final hole into the rough down the left. He recovered well, though, and a long birdie putt saw him finish eight under par.
Daisuke Maruyama was fourth on seven under, while Jbe Kruger posted the best round of the day on the more difficult Serapong course with a 65 to join Lee Sung, Athaphon Prathumanee and Rahil Gangjee on six under. English duo Tom Lewis and Oliver Fisher were also well in contention among a large group of players on five under.
Colin Montgomerie also made an encouraging start with a 67 on the Tanjong Course to sit alongside South African Retief Goosen, Ireland’s Shane Lowry and Welshman Jamie Donaldson on four under par.
Simon Dyson, Graeme McDowell and Nick Dougherty were all on three under while Padraig Harrington and Justin Rose were one shot further back following opening 69s. Phil Mickelson endured an indifferent opening round, though, with a 71 on the Tanjong course that saw the American mix four birdies with two bogeys and a double-bogey six at the 11th.
