New Zealand’s Mark Brown hit a sensational eight-under-par 62 to take the first-round lead at the US$2.5 million Hong Kong Open yesterday.
The 35-year-old, who lies a lowly 107th in the Race to Dubai, played the golf of his career to card five birdies and four pars on the back nine, taking the shine off Ryder Cup star Rory McIlroy’s stunning 63 earlier in the day.
“It was a good day. It came as a bit of a surprise after my form over the last two months,” Brown said. “Good to get out in the afternoon and post a score like that.”
“It’s the sort of course that gives you a lot of chances as long as you hit the fairway,” he said.
Northern Ireland’s McIlroy, 21, is aiming finally to lay to rest the ghost of two runners-up spots in the last two editions and managed eight birdies in near-perfect conditions.
“It was a great start to the tournament, obviously, going out and shooting a good first round,” he said. “It’s a great start and the conditions out there were perfect for scoring early on.”
“There was not a breath of wind and when the greens are that good in the morning you can take advantage of it, and that’s what I was able to do today,” McIlroy said.
TAIWAN
The world No. 10 was up against Taiwan’s Lin Wen-tang, to whom he lost a tense play-off in 2008 before falling just short a year later against Frenchman Gregory Bourdy.
India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, the first Asian to win more than US$1 million in a season, was tied in second with McIlroy.
The day got off to a thrilling start at the Hong Kong Golf Club with England’s Simon Dyson hitting a hole-in-one on the par three 12th to take an early lead in an event he won 10 years ago, ending the day tied in fourth.
“It was perfect yardage, no wind, and a perfect wedge straight down the flag,” Dyson said. “It pitched about two feet short and just rolled out and dropped in the hole, so I couldn’t have asked for a better start.”
Among McIlroy’s biggest rivals in a wide-open field is compatriot Graeme McDowell.
US Open champion McDowell is on five-under after a confident start was undermined by a bogey on the ninth when he missed seven-foot putt for par.
South Korea’s 19-year-old Noh Seung-yul provided the biggest surprise as he stuttered in his bid to become the youngest player in history to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit, managing par in his first round after three birdies on the front nine were cancelled out by as many bogeys on the way back.
DOUBT
Meanwhile, Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn is in serious doubt for Dubai after injuring his wrist in a bizarre incident.
Bjorn was on the third hole when he lost a ball in the rough after playing his second shot.
He then returned to the spot where he had hit the ball to take the proper penalty drop.
The victorious European Ryder Cup vice-captain’s ball had come to rest on top of a tree root, however, and in playing his third shot, Bjorn jarred his wrist badly.
The Dane played out the hole, taking a quadruple bogey 9, but then sought medical attention and emerged later with his left hand and wrist heavily bandaged.
“It’s one of those things that happens in golf as I wasn’t to know in taking the penalty drop that there would be a tree root so close to the surface,” he said.
“I am going to have daily treatment on my wrist so hopefully it will be fit for next week,” Bjorn said. “I didn’t compete in the first Dubai World Championship last year, so it would be disappointing to have to withdraw.”
Bjorn is currently 55th on the Race to Dubai money list. The leading 60 players at the end of the Hong Kong Open will qualify for the US$7.5 million Dubai World Championship and a crack at a US$1.1 million first prize.
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