Portugal Masters:Francesco Molinari leads the Portugal Masters by two after signing for a 63 in the opening round at the Oceânico Victoria Golf Course. The Italian is two shots ahead of the England's Justin Rose, South Africa's Charl Schwartzel and Scot Alistair Forsyth, but the leading Irishman is five adrift.
A bogey at the last meant Peter Lawrie had to settle for a 68 and a one shot lead over Pádraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy, Gareth Maybin and Damien McGrane.
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.
Unlike McIlroy, who was four under after five, 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.
In the battle for the Tour number one spot, Lee Westwood improved his hopes with a 66 - despite being stung by a wasp - as current leader McIlroy finished with “only” a 69.
Harrington was in the water for bogeys on the 17th and 18th having started on the back nine, but then covered the front nine in 33 for a 69. The Dubliner’s putting is causing him concern. He went back to the club with which he won his three majors, but struggled with its extra length.
Shane Lowry and Paul McGinley are both two under, while Gary Murphy is level par and Graeme McDowell is two over.
Rose, unsure what the future holds for him on the European Tour, took a big step towards easing his worries with a seven under par 65.
Two years ago he won the Order of Merit and at sixth in the world was Europe’s leading light, while last September he won three out of four points on his Ryder Cup debut.
Now, with only one top-10 finish since he was runner-up to McIlroy in Dubai in February, he is 58th on the money list and down to 62nd on the world rankings. Falling outside the top 50 there means he could miss out on majors and world championships next season.
And that in turn will make it harder for him to remain a member of both the American and European circuits, especially if or when stricter rules are brought in on this side of the Atlantic.
“I really want to and the Ryder Cup next year is a big drawcard,” said the 29-year-old when asked if he will do whatever is required of him to keep his Tour card.
“But at the end of the day I’ve got to do what’s good for me and my family. Florida is my base — I can’t say on my heart it’s home, but from a practical point of view that’s where home is.
“Dropping out of the top 50 puts me in a precarious position and my goal is to get back in it. Then I can play the schedule I want to.”
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 had hopes of being on the same mark after sharing the early lead at five under with six to go. That has not happened for a long time, but he finished with a 68.
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