GOLF: EUROPEAN TOUR:BACK-TO-form Swede Henrik Stenson set the first-day pace at the BMW International Open in Munich yesterday – and even managed to finish with a full set of clubs.
Four days after badly cutting a finger when he broke his seven-iron in anger at the US Open, Stenson fired an eight-under-par 64 to lead England’s Gary Boyd by one.
The former Ryder Cup player has fallen from fourth in the world to outside the top 130 in the last two years, but was on the leaderboard for much of last week in Washington.
Still wearing a bandage on his finger, Stenson overcame some torrential afternoon downpours to grab an eagle and seven birdies.
“I don’t think you will find a player who’s been out here 10 to 15 years who has not had some rough times,” he said. “We all go through ups and downs. I’ve been struggling with my game a little bit, but it’s hard to put my finger on what it’s been.
“I played a lot better last week. My confidence is still not as high as it can be, but I’m working away trying to do the things that are going to lead me back.”
Boyd was joint runner-up in the Italian Open two weeks ago and, like Rory McIlroy in America, broke 70 in all four rounds.
The 24-year-old, first man off and playing in much the best conditions of the day, grabbed eight birdies and would have finished the round alongside Stenson but for missing the green with a pitch to his final hole and taking a bogey six.
Compatriot Danny Willett, a team-mate of McIlroy at the 2007 Walker Cup, and Scotland’s 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie had 66s to share third place with South African Jbe Kruger and Dutchman Tim Sluiter.
Twice US Open champion Retief Goosen is two strokes further back and Sergio Garcia returned a 69, as did Ireland’s Peter Lawrie.
Compatriot Damien McGrane returned a 71 but it wasn’t a great day at the office for Shane Lowry, who ended the day on four over par 76.
Colin Montgomerie managed a two-under 70. Alongside last year’s Ryder Cup captain are world number three Martin Kaymer, American Dustin Johnson, defending champion David Horsey and 18-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero.
Paul Casey would have been inside the top 10 but for one hole, the 441-yard seventh.
Four under with three to play he hooked into thick rough, moved the ball only a few yards with his first two hacks at it, went over the fairway, then into a greenside bunker and eventually walked off with a quadruple-bogey eight.
Casey, round in 72, still finished four shots better than 53-year-old Bernhard Langer on his 450th European Tour appearance, while a 14th successive missed cut going back to last November looms large for England’s Nick Dougherty after his 75.
That contained an eagle and three birdies, but also three bogeys, a triple-bogey seven and a closing double-bogey seven.
US TOUR
HEAVY rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, caused a major delay on the first day of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, yesterday.
Pádraig Harrington had just sank a putt for birdie two on the fifth hole – his 13th – to stand on one over par when play was suspended.
Leading the way at that stage was American Michael Bradley, The 44-year-old from Largo, Florida, had notched up seven birdies after playing 16 holes to lie on six under par, one shot ahead of a posse of players that included Americans Chris Couch, Bryce Molder, John Rollins and Bo Van Pelt, Fijian Vijah Singh, Swede Frederick Jacobson and Argentina’s Andreas Romero
