GOLF:ENGLAND'S ROSS McGowan held the lead after shooting 64 in the opening round of the Madrid Masters yesterday. The 29-year-old's eight-under-par round left him one stroke clear of hometown favourite Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Italian Lorenzo Gagli and Australian Brett Rumford on a day of low scoring at El Encin Golf Hotel.

Gagli’s compatriot Edoardo Molinari follows in outright fifth place on six under, with a host of players one shot further back and world number one Luke Donald heading another sizeable group at four under.

McGowan birdied three of the first four holes but it was around the turn where his round took flight, with five successive birdies from the ninth.

Two more followed in the final three holes to leave him on top, despite recording his second bogey at the 15th.

Fernandez-Castano was on track for a share of top spot in his home event until he bogeyed the par-five last, but his stunning front nine – he also hit five birdies in a row, from the third – kept him firmly in the picture.

Gagli, by contrast, timed his run late, with an outward 34 which was no more than solid followed by an eagle at the 11th and a closing birdie hat-trick.

Rumford, meanwhile, started at the 10th with back-to-back birdies and hit five more in six holes between the 17th and fourth on a solid card.

Edoardo Molinari made a steady beginning to his round after starting at the 10th, with eight successive pars before a birdie at the 18th and an eagle at the par-five first sparked a surge to six under.

The Italian picked up another shot at the par-three fifth before closing with two more birdies.

That left him a shot ahead of a nine-strong group at five under which included his brother Francesco, who carded three successive birdies from the sixth in a bogey-free round.

The group also featured three more Englishmen – Steve Webster, Graeme Storm and Lee Slattery – and two Spaniards, Alvaro Quiros and Eduardo de la Riva, and was completed by Welshman Bradley Dredge, Swede Peter Hanson and Tano Goya of Argentina.

Donald started at the 10th and was only one under at the turn, having tempered three birdies with dropped shots at the 12th and 18th.

But three birdies on his second nine lifted him into a tie with fellow Englishman Oliver Wilson, Scots David Drysdale and Richie Ramsay, Spain’s Ignacio Garrido, South Americans Mark Tullo and Cesar Monasterio and Thomas Norret of Denmark.

RICKIE FOWLER and YE Yang claimed a share of the first-round lead on four under par at the Kolon Korea Open after the pair posted opening 67s but Rory McIlroy lies just one shot off the pace.

US Open champion McIlroy carded seven birdies in his round of 68 at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club but also found the water twice in an eventful first 18 holes as the Northern Irishman finished in a tie for third on three-under.

“I felt like I played well. I started nicely and I was three under through nine holes, but I had a bad couple of holes on the back nine at 10 and 11 with a bogey and a double bogey,” he said.