Dodd opens with course record 67

Local player Grant Dodd came in late in the day with a course record six-under-par 67 to lead after the first day of the $510,000 Australian Players' Championship at Royal Queensland yesterday.

He led amateur Brett Rumford, whose five-under 68 upstaged 18-year-old Aaron Baddeley, who last week became the youngest Australian Open winner.

Baddeley was up at 4.30 yesterday morning and fired a one-over 74 to be well down the field. Lucas Parsons, Scott Laycock and Paul Gow followed Rumford after four-under par rounds of 69.

Dodd holed five birdies and an eagle and his first shot of the tournament looked headed for the one million dollar jackpot for a hole-in-one, rolling onto the green but pulling up short for a two-putt birdie.

Baddeley staged a magnificent fightback from four-over to finish with a one-over 74, conjuring up a birdie-eagle charge just when it seemed he would finish the day well behind the leaders.

Craig Parry was on 70 along with New Zealand's Johnnie Walker Classic winner Michael Campbell, defending champion Stephen Leaney and Victorian Stephen Allan.

Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia will team up with Nick Faldo's former caddie Fanny Sunesson for a new tournament in Arizona. "She is very professional, very loyal and she works hard," the 19-year-old Garcia said after more than 30 caddies applied to work for him at the tournament in Scottsdale from December 29th to January 2nd.

Sunesson and Faldo parted company last month after 10 years together. The Swede helped Faldo to win three British Open championships and three US Masters during their partnership.

Garcia, the European Rookie of the Year, broke with his caddie Jerry Higginbotham last month.

Thai-based Scot Simon Yates jointly held the halfway lead in the Thailand Open yesterday. Yates and Taiwan's Yeh Wei-Tze lead the Asian PGA Tour event on eight-under-par 136, from first-round leader Anthony Kang of South Korea, Felix Casas of the Philippines, and American Fran Quinn.