GOLF/US/ASIAN TOUR: American Ricky Barnes sank eight birdies in a flawless opening round to take a one-shot lead in the Asia Pacific Classic in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The 29-year-old’s 63 put him ahead of compatriot Ryan Moore, who also turned in a bogey-free performance in the €4.3 million PGA Tour co-sanctioned event.
World number eight Luke Donald and Ernie Els carded four-under 67s to share 10th place with four others.
Barnes, who won the Eisenhower Trophy with the US on the same course at the Mines Resort and Golf Club in 2002, hit 17 greens in regulation.
CHALLENGE TOUR: Colm Moriarty will need to produce something magical if he is to secure his main European Tour card next season after a disappointing second round at the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final in Italy.
The Athlone golfer finished tied 14th in Egypt last week to win his way into the Challenge Tour’s season-ending event in Puglia, where 45 golfers are competing for 20 coveted tour cards.
After a bright start and an opening 69, Moriarty slumped to a second round 77 to drop back into a tie for 23rd on four over.
On a difficult day, only Charles-Edouard Russo from France (68) managed to break par at the par 71 layout.
In Moriarty’s case birdies proved elusive as the 31-year-old’s card showed six dropped shots and the rest pars with an outward nine of 38 before returning in 39.
The Team Ireland golfer needs to win, or, at worst, finish second in the €300,000 event to have any chance of breaking into the top 20.
EISENHOWER TROPHY: A late collapse by international Paul Cutler cost Ireland dearly in the opening round of the World Amateur Team Championship in Buenos Aires last night.
Cutler, the 22-year-old Britain and Ireland cap from Portstewart, matched or bettered par most of the way but suffered a disastrous closing stretch.
Starting at the 10th on the more difficult Olivos course, Lytham Trophy holder Cutler, a quarter-finalist in the British Amateur Championship in June, birdied his third hole, but got to the turn in 36, one over par, after bogeys on 15 and 16.
A birdie on the first brought him back to par, but the real problem came at the eighth (17th) when he found the tight fairways difficult to handle and he slumped to a double bogey seven, ending with a par for 74.
Waterford-product Kevin Phelan, a student at the University of North Florida, was making a reasonable Eisenhower Trophy debut until two late bogeys after an earlier double and finished on 76.
Irish champion Alan Dunbar was never going very well after dropping strokes on three of the first four holes and also posted a 76.
With two of the three cards counting, that gave Ireland a first-day aggregate of 150 and they finished the day in a share of 45th spot. Ireland were a long way behind early leaders Canada, who also played the Olivos course and recorded a total of 137, five under par.
France joined Canada on the 137 mark, but they played at Buenos Aires with its par of 71 so were seven under.
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