PORTUGAL MASTERS:ROBERT KARLSSON of Sweden remained in control of Europe's Order of Merit race with a three-under-par 69 in the Portugal Masters first round yesterday.
While the world number eight lies four shots behind pacemaker Stuart Manley of England, money-list rival Lee Westwood slipped to a 72 after a promising start.
Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez, also with an outside chance of winning the Order of Merit and playing in the same group as Karlsson and Westwood, could only summon up a 73.
Money-list leader Karlsson, aiming for a third successive tournament win, had to rally after a poor opening.
"I didn't play great at the start, it's a bit difficult to concentrate on just the event because everyone's talking about the Order of Merit and it's hard not to be affected," said Karlsson.
The signs for Westwood, third on the money-list, are not encouraging. Two-under coming to his eighth hole, the 17th, he found water with his approach and after that his round folded.
"I played like a tired man who wants the year to end," said the Englishman.
Leader Manley, who ended his round in gathering darkness in the final group, was a surprise front-runner.
The 29-year-old, with a career best finish of 13th and standing 174th in the Order of Merit rankings, has no form at all this year, having missed the cut in 20 of his 30 starts.
Two closing birdies for his 65 put Manley a stroke ahead of England's Mark Foster, Spaniard Alvaro Quiros and India's Jyoti Randhawa.
A shot further back is Graeme McDowell after an opening 67. The Rathmore man had just one bogey and a single birdie on the way out, having started at the 10th. But he birdied the 446-yard first and followed that up with consecutive birdies at the third and fourth, before picking up another shot at the par three sixth, and he completed a back nine 31 with a birdie at the ninth.
Gary Murphy and Rory McIlroy both fired four birdies and just one bogey in first-round 69s.
Playing partners Darren Clarke and Colin Montgomerie had 10 birdies between them, but there were nine bogeys and in Clarke's case a double bogey as well. They finished on 72 and 73 respectively.
Also on 72 is Peter Lawrie, while Damien McGrane has work to do after a three-over-par 75.
IRELAND made an uncharacteristically slow start to their challenge for honours in the World Amateur Team Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy in Adelaide yesterday.
Walker Cup man Jonathan Caldwell was the best of the trio. Starting at the 10th, he covered his first nine holes in two over par and then dropped another shot at the first, but picked up three birdies on his way to a 73.
Portstewart star Paul Cutler, who took six points out of six when Ireland retained their Euro title in Turin in July, was round in 74 - two over par - which included a double bogey six on the 17th.
The non-counting card was the 75 of Shane Lowry, who was level par after nine holes but then lost his way a little and carded three bogeys, mainly because of putting lapses.
After day one it was America and Scotland who led the way on 136. Wales are joint fourth and England ninth going into the second day.
• US TOUR:The Tiger Woods-hosted AT and T National will move from Bethesda, Maryland, to suburban Philadelphia in 2010 and 2011, the American world number one said yesterday.
Congressional CC, the venue for the last two years, will stage the event again in 2009 before making way for Aronimink GC.
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