Caddy gives Olazabal a lift

ASIAN OPEN: Jose Maria Olazabal, advised by his caddy to seek help for his ailing game last month, appeared to have found the solution after the first round of the BMW Asian Open.

Olazabal carded a two-under-par 70 on a difficult opening day at the windswept Ta Shee resort in Taiwan to finish just two shots off the lead held by France's Sebastien Delagrange.

Delagrange, twice a winner on the Challenge Tour this year, held the lead all day after going out in the first group at 6.40 a.m. local time and carding a 68 despite bogeys at his last two holes.

He held a one-shot lead over English duo Gary Clark and Jamie Spence and Zimbabwe's Tony Johnstone with Olazabal one of five players a shot further back.

Olazabal, who consulted Lee Westwood's former coach Pete Cowen at the Volvo Masters after his caddy's plea at the Madrid Open, was delighted with his score in such difficult conditions.

"I'm very pleased, I think it's a good round. The wind was very strong and it was difficult to score well today," the double Masters champion said.

"The eagle on the third, my 12th hole, was the big turnaround. Before then I struck the ball quite well and didn't score as well as I should have. Then I made a huge putt from around 45 feet there from the edge of the green and that helped the score a lot."

Another birdie from six feet on the seventh cancelled out his one bogey of the day on the 12th and Olazabal added: "It was very difficult out there. I've been hitting sometimes three clubs more than usual and the greens are very difficult.

"We're not used to putting on this type of grass in Europe and it's very difficult for me to read the breaks properly."

A jet-lagged Nick Faldo also eagled the third but failed to capitalise on that dream start and had to settle for a one-over-par 73.

The six-time major winner arrived in Ta Shee at 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning after travelling through 13 time zones after playing in the inaugural Warburg Cup at Kiawah Island.

The 44-year-old admitted his body-clock "did not have a clue" what time it was and struggled to get through Wednesday's pro-am.

Two under par after three holes, Faldo made three bogeys in quick succession to reach the turn in one-over-par 37, and could manage only one birdie and one bogey coming home.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Ernie Els rode a fast start to a share of the lead on the opening day of the Australian Open at The Grand on the Gold Coast.

The South African world number four and Queensland's Rod Pampling are five under par after shooting 66, giving them a one-shot advantage over Brad Andrews.

Els wasted no time establishing himself as the man to beat, holing out with his second shot from 80 yards at the first for an eagle. He then had a birdie at the second.

After dropping a shot at the next, he recovered with birdies at five and seven.

"It was a nice start wasn't it, 80 yards in with a wedge and birdied the next so it was the start I wanted," Els said. "I don't think I've ever had a start like that before."

Els finished his round with four successive pars. "On the whole I think I scrapped around with the last few holes but this course will really do that to you - you've got to be very patient and disciplined out there," he said. "I didn't drive the ball all that well or as good as last week I don't think, but I was happy with the round regardless."

Birdies at 15 and the last put Pampling level with Els. Peter Lonard, Michael Wright and veteran Brett Ogle are behind by two strokes.