Vilamoura, October 16: Italy’s Francesco Molinari held a two-shot lead after the first round of the Portugal Masters at the Oceanico Victoria Club on Thursday.
Molinari’s nine under par 63 pushed him clear of a chasing trio on 65 comprising Briton Justin Rose, Charl Schwartzel of South Africa and Scot Alastair Forsyth.
Molinari equalled the lowest round of his Tour career and will now be hoping there is no repeat of what happened after his last 63.
That was at the Irish Open in May and he was disqualified the following day for signing for the wrong score in his second round.
He reflected: “It was a really good round, and my putting was really good.
“The game, it really was quite solid but that’s for me, it’s quite normal, but my putting today was a bit more than normal.
“Usually I’m not really a fast starter. I usually play better in the weekend than in the first couple of days.”
Schwartzel added: “It is quite a long golf course. I think a long hitter does have quite an advantage. I think the fairways are fairly wide, too, so the further you can get it out there, the more of an advantage you have.”
In the battle for The Race to Dubai, Lee Westwood improved his hopes with a 66 – despite being stung by a wasp – as current race leader Rory McIlroy finished with a 69. He had been four under after five.
Rose dropped a shot on the long 12th but he was already five under when that came and three more birdies followed, the best of them a six iron to 18 inches on the 463 yard last – a hole that saw several sixes, a seven and also an eight.
Unlike McIlroy, Molinari made the most of his fast start. After three birdies and an eagle in the first five holes he then grabbed five more birdies in an inward 31.
One of those to take six on the 18th was Welshman Bradley Dredge. Back on the course where he won the World Cup with Stephen Dodd in 2005 he had just eagled the previous hole to reach eight under, but then finished alongside Westwood by dropping to joint fifth.
Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie made a welcome return to form with a four under 68.
—Agencies