Edfors storms to Volvo Golf Champions lead
RIFFA (Bahrain): Johan Edfors wielded a hot putter and made full use of perfect scoring conditions in the morning to shoot an eight-under par 64 and open a two-shot lead on the opening day of the 1.7-million-euro Volvo Golf Champions.
At the Royal Golf Club here, Edfors lit up the Colin Montgomerie-designed course with nine birdies as the Kingdom of Bahrain become the 41st country to host a European Tour event.
The Swede was followed by Italian Francesco Molinari, Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal, Swede Peter Hanson and England's Graeme Storm, who all shot rounds of six-under par 66 each.
A further stroke behind was a group of eight players, including Spain's Sergio Garcia, who is seeking a return to form, England's world number nine Paul Casey, Italian teenage sensation Matteo Manassero and India's Jeev Milkha Singh.
Edfors, who hasn't really lived up to the early promise he showed by winning thrice on the European Tour in 2006, has been threatening the leaderboard lately. Four top-10 finishes late last year gave him a decent end-of-the-year position in the Race to Dubai, but nothing would please the 35-year-old Swede more than a win.
It was a good start on the 10th hole - his first - which set the tone for the day.
"I tried to go for the green and tried to go a little bit right to the waste area," said Edfors, who won the Black Mountain Masters on the Asian Tour last year.
"I made a pretty good up and down from what was like a 40 yard bunker shot and I hit it up to four feet. That really got me going straightaway. That was probably the key shot of the day I would say.
"I played really solid all day. Hit a lot of fairways, which are a bit wider than last week in Abu Dhabi, and my distance control with irons was really good. I gave myself a lot of good chances within 15 feet and holed a few from outside that distance."
Molinari, who came up with the best round among the afternoon starters along with Storm, said: ! "Startin g with a 66 is always nice and it was playing a bit tricky this afternoon with the wind picking up, so I'm really happy.
"When you're out on the golf course, you don't really have time to think about things like how unlucky you are (with the luck of the draw).
"I was just trying to focus and play for the best score possible. It was definitely a bit trickier than this morning, but still a golf course that you can play even with the wind."
Garcia was delighted with his first tournament round, coming as it does after more than two months of his last outing.
"It was good. It was definitely positive. A lot of good putts, a lot of good strokes. Some really nice shots. I think it was definitely the right way to start the year," he added.
Dubai World Championship winner Robert Karlsson of Sweden opened with a 69, while Ireland's Paraig Harrington and the new European Ryder Cup skipper Jose Maria Olazabal shot rounds of 70 each.
England's world number 12 Ian Poulter and Montgomerie could only manage even-par 72 rounds.
At the Royal Golf Club here, Edfors lit up the Colin Montgomerie-designed course with nine birdies as the Kingdom of Bahrain become the 41st country to host a European Tour event.
The Swede was followed by Italian Francesco Molinari, Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal, Swede Peter Hanson and England's Graeme Storm, who all shot rounds of six-under par 66 each.
A further stroke behind was a group of eight players, including Spain's Sergio Garcia, who is seeking a return to form, England's world number nine Paul Casey, Italian teenage sensation Matteo Manassero and India's Jeev Milkha Singh.
Edfors, who hasn't really lived up to the early promise he showed by winning thrice on the European Tour in 2006, has been threatening the leaderboard lately. Four top-10 finishes late last year gave him a decent end-of-the-year position in the Race to Dubai, but nothing would please the 35-year-old Swede more than a win.
It was a good start on the 10th hole - his first - which set the tone for the day.
"I tried to go for the green and tried to go a little bit right to the waste area," said Edfors, who won the Black Mountain Masters on the Asian Tour last year.
"I made a pretty good up and down from what was like a 40 yard bunker shot and I hit it up to four feet. That really got me going straightaway. That was probably the key shot of the day I would say.
"I played really solid all day. Hit a lot of fairways, which are a bit wider than last week in Abu Dhabi, and my distance control with irons was really good. I gave myself a lot of good chances within 15 feet and holed a few from outside that distance."
Molinari, who came up with the best round among the afternoon starters along with Storm, said: ! "Startin g with a 66 is always nice and it was playing a bit tricky this afternoon with the wind picking up, so I'm really happy.
"When you're out on the golf course, you don't really have time to think about things like how unlucky you are (with the luck of the draw).
"I was just trying to focus and play for the best score possible. It was definitely a bit trickier than this morning, but still a golf course that you can play even with the wind."
Garcia was delighted with his first tournament round, coming as it does after more than two months of his last outing.
"It was good. It was definitely positive. A lot of good putts, a lot of good strokes. Some really nice shots. I think it was definitely the right way to start the year," he added.
Dubai World Championship winner Robert Karlsson of Sweden opened with a 69, while Ireland's Paraig Harrington and the new European Ryder Cup skipper Jose Maria Olazabal shot rounds of 70 each.
England's world number 12 Ian Poulter and Montgomerie could only manage even-par 72 rounds.
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