Rising star Martin Kaymer and Alex Cejka combined superbly to give Germany the edge over Australia after the first round of the Omega World Cup yesterday.
The pair, world ranked 26th and 212th respectively, fired eight birdies and an extraordinary eagle over the bunker-strewn Olazabal Course in their 10-under-par round of 62.
It gave them a one-stroke lead over unheralded Australian pair Richard Green and Brendan James.
The US, represented by former Open winner Ben Curtis and Brandt Snedeker, lie alongside Spain and Canada in three-way share of third place on eight-under-par.
The highly-fancied Swedish pair of Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson are a shot further back after firing a 65.
The players predicted that the barrage of birdies during the first day’s fourball session would not be repeated in the tougher foursomes format today.
Taiwan’s Lin Wen-tang (林文堂) and Lu Wen-teh (呂文德) had a four-under-par round of 68, putting them level with Gregory Havret and Gregory Bourdy of France, Bae Sang-moon and Kim Hyung-tae of South Korea and Alastair Forysth and Colin Montgomerie of Scotland.
■ AUSTRALIAN MASTERS
AFP, MELBOURNE
South Africa’s Tim Clark reeled off two eagles and three birdies to join Australian Scott Hend in the lead after the opening 18 holes of the European Tour co-sanctioned Australian Masters at Huntingdale yesterday.
Clark’s afternoon round of five-under 67 was interrupted by a three-hour electrical storm delay and was two shots off the pace at the time before grabbing birdies on the 15th and 16th holes in benign conditions.
The world No. 43, who was runner-up in the US Masters two years ago, earlier had joined Hend in the lead after 10 holes following eagles on the downwind par five seventh and 10th holes.
“I had two eagles all year on the US Tour so that was quite a shock for me, but downwind they were reachable and that was where you had to make your score up on a day like this,” Clark said.
Two-time major winner John Daly had a torrid opening round with a four-over 76. The American said he was just focused on survival and kept his signature driver under wraps for much of the round.
■ CASIO OPEN
AFP, KOCHI, JAPAN
Japan’s Komei Oda shot a sizzling six-under-par 66 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round amid tight security at the Casio Open men’s golf tournament yesterday.
Police stepped up security at the Kuroshio Country Club course after a grenade exploded at its clubhouse last week and an anonymous caller claimed to have buried landmines demanding the cancelation of the tournament.
Another grenade went off last Saturday at a local food company owned by the manager of the golf-links.
Oda, who has yet to win a title on the Japan Tour, carded three birdies on both nines without a bogey, one stroke above fellow Japanese Achi Sato and two strokes above Keichi Kuboya and Hiromichi Kubo.
Sato sank six birdies to tie with Oda on the 15th hole, but bogeyed the 17th hole to go back to second place.
Japan’s teenage sensation Ryo Ishikawa, 17 who posted his second title on the tour earlier this month, hit a 70 to share 20th place with 13 other golfers.
Yeh Wei-tze (葉偉志) of Taiwan fired 73, while Lin Keng-chi (林根基) shot 74.
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