Wales Open: England's Phillip Archer missed becoming the first European Tour player to officially record a 59 when he failed to hole a seven-foot birdie putt on the 18th yesterday's first round of the Wales Open at Celtic Manor.

Archer, 34, had to console himself with joining 11 other European Tour players who have shot 60s and a one-shot lead on nine-under-par over Sweden's Robert Karlsson.

"It's never been done before, so I'm more disappointed at not shooting a 59 than I am happy at shooting a 60," the Englishman said.

"I read the putt as being on the left edge and firm but maybe I hit it a little too firm. It was nice to give myself the chance but it wasn't to be."

A bogey on the fourth also denied Archer the record in the end, but he surged into the lead with 10 birdies and set up his golden chance with a battling par-save on the 17th from 10ft.

Three Americans, Al Geiberger, Chip Beck and David Duval, have shot official 59s on the US Tour. Japanese Shigeki Maruyama shot a 58 in 2000 U.S. Open pre-qualifying.

Sweden's Annika Sorenstam has shot a 59 on the LPGA Tour and last week Frenchman Adrien Mork shot a 59 in the second round of the Moroccan Classic on the European Challenge Tour.

Karlsson's flawless card of eight birdies took him two strokes better than Frenchman Francois Delamontagne and Scotland's Colin Montgomerie.

Michael Hoey showed a welcome return to form with a flawless five-under-par 64, while Peter Lawrie also kept in touch with a three-under 66.

On a day when 82 players shot par or better David Higgins and Graeme McDowell fired one-under-par 68s while Paul McGinley, back after knee problems, and Damien McGrane are on level par 69. Only Stephen Browne, with a disappointing 77 in the afternoon breeze, failed to get among the birdies.

US Open champion Michael Campbell's only birdie of the day came at the last as he also struggled in the wind to a 75, leaving him 15 shots off the pace.

The New Zealander said: "It was a strange day. I was sometimes out by 10 yards with my clubs in the wind.

"I'm still pretty positive and you only have to look at my bounce-back statistics to see I won't give up.

"Look at how Thomas Bjorn shot a 78 in the first round of the Irish Open and won."

Archer, whose previous lowest round on tour was 65, had birdied the second and third and bounced back from a bogey on the fourth with five more birdies in a row.

Further birdies on the 11th, 15th and 16th left him needing one more over the last two holes for the record, but after saving par on the 17th after finding rough off the tee his birdie attempt on 18 was struck just too hard.

"It's a bitter-sweet moment," admitted Archer, who finished a lowly 114th on the Order of Merit last year but finished third and sixth in consecutive events in Spain and Italy recently.

Archer's superb effort eclipsed the previous course record - set last year by Alessandro Tadini and Miguel Angel Jimenez - by two shots, but was only enough for a one-shot lead over Sweden's Robert Karlsson, whose round of 61 went almost unnoticed in the excitement.

Montgomerie was two shots further back after a six-under 63 which ended the worst run of his career in emphatic fashion.

Montgomerie carded seven birdies and just one bogey, which he put down to skipping Wednesday's pro-am to get a sneak preview of the Open venue at Hoylake.

"It's the best score for a long, long time and gives me a lot of encouragement. It's been a poor run of form by any standards."