GOLF DIGEST: EUROPEAN TOUR:AUSTRALIAN Marcus Fraser was the clubhouse leader after fog wrecked the opening round of the €2.18 million Ballantine's Championship in Korea yesterday, leaving more than a third of field yet to hit a shot.
Six hours and 10 minutes of play were lost in total when fog descended on the European and Asian Tour co-sanctioned event on Jeju island, shrouding the Pinx Golf Club and severely restricting visibility.
Fraser prospered despite the conditions to shoot a superb seven-birdie 65 and top the leaderboard by a shot from Britain’s Mark Foster, who carded six-under-par 66.
“It was just one of those days where I felt like I did a lot of things right,” said the unheralded Australian.
“It’s nice when the round turns out that way and would be even nicer if you can play like that all the time.”
Three-times major winner Ernie Els was also one of 36 players who finished their rounds and the South African managed a 68 for a share of sixth alongside Korean-American world number 10 Anthony Kim and several others.
“I stayed patient and Im happy with how I played, I just didnt score very well,” said Kim, who finished third at the US Masters earlier this month.
Having teed off on the 10th, Gareth Maybin made it to the turn on a two-under par 34 following birdies on the tenth and ninth holes. Then another on the third moved him up the leaderboard when play was suspended. He remains the leading Irish player with three under after 12 holes.
Graham McDowell managed to complete the 18 holes and ended up two over par following three bogeys on five, 12 and 17 with only one birdie, on the 10th hole.
WOMEN'S EUROPEAN TOUR:Rebecca Coakley and Hazel Kavanagh finished the first round of the European Nations Cup in Dénia, Alicante, on level par 72 after signing for a bogey on the par four seventh and then a birdie on the par four 11th hole.
Austria lead the event, with Nicole Gergely and Stefanie Michl shooting six-under-par 66, including an eagle on the par five 18th.
Spain’s Tania Elosegui and Emma Cabrera Bello are tied with the Austrian duo after their six under par on the Denia course included seven birdies and just one bogey.
France, USA and Sweden are tied in third place.
US TOUR:Jason Bohn set the early pace in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with a seven-under-par round of 65.
Bohn looked set to equal, if not better, the course record of 64 when he was eight under standing on the 18th tee, having had eight birdies and no bogeys to that point. His second shot to the par five 18th found water, however, and in the end he could not make a 20-foot putt for par.
Jason Dufner, John Senden, Chris Couch and Jeff Overton were in second place on 67.
Former British Open champion David Duval was also well placed after an opening 68 in which he parred the first 10 holes before finding four birdies in his last eight.
Tim Herron had a remarkable round, carding a quadruple bogey eight on his first hole, the par four 10th, before fighting back to record a level par 72.
Herron hit his opening tee shot out of bounds and, after reloading, missed the green with his fourth and fifth shots. He ended up two-putting for eight from 15 feet.
GOLF RESULTS ROUND-UP:
BALLANTINE’S CHAMPIONSHIP
(Jeju Island, South Korea, British unless stated, par 72)
Note: First round play abandoned due to fog. Still 40 groups to complete.
65 Marcus Fraser (Aus).
66 Mark Foster.
67 Ted Oh (Kor).
68 Peter Hanson (Swe), Anthony Kim (USA), Ernie Els (Rsa), Prayad Marksaeng (Tha), Oliver Fisher, Mardan Mamat (Sin).
69 Anthony Wall, Felipe Aguilar (Chi), Wen-chong Liang (Chn), Henrik Stenson (Swe), Pablo Larrazabal (Spn).
70 Scott Hend (Aus), Ryuichi Oda (Jpn), Richard Finch, Yih-shin Chan (Tpe), Thaworn Wiratchant (Tha), Chapchai Nirat (Tha), Pablo Martin (Spn).
71 Richard Bland, Hyun-bin Park (Kor), Dong-kyu Jang (Kor), David Howell, Anthony Kang (USA), Stephen Gallacher, Ariel Canete (Arg), Angelo Que (Phi).
73 Joon-eob Son (Kor), Chinnarat Phadungsil (Tha), Hyun-woo Ryu (Kor).
74 Graeme McDowell, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spn).
75 In-sik Choi (Kor).
78 Chih-bing Lam (Sin)
WOMEN’S EUROPEAN NATIONS CUP
(Alicante, Spain, par 72)
66 S Michl N Gergely (Aut), T Elosegui E Cabrera Bello (Spn).
67 G Nocera J Schaeffer (Fra), B Daniel M Mallon (USA), A Nordqvist S Gustafson (Swe).
68 I Tinning L Holm Sorensen (Den), G Sergas V Zorzi, C Boeljon M Van Der Graaff (Ned).
69 B Brewerton B Loucks (Wal), K Webb K Lunn (Aus), C Matthew K Caithness (Sco).
70 A Monke B Hauert (Ger).
71 C Rominger F Seeholzer (Swi), K Stupples M Reid (Eng), M Verchenova A Kostina (Rus).
72 R Coakley H Kavanagh (Irl), C Lundgreen C Martens larsen (Nor).
73 U Wikstrom J Kuosa (Fin).
ZURICH CLASSIC
(New Orleans, early completed scores, US unless stated, par 72)
65: J Bohn.
67: J Senden (Aus), C Couch, J Overton, J Dufner.
68: D Duval, C Howell III, T Merritt.
69: D Toms. B Faxon, M Gronberg (Swe).
