ITALIAN OPEN:TEEING OFF in his first event as a pro with Colin Montgomerie as a partner, 17-year-old Matteo Manassero could have been forgiven an attack of nerves in the Italian Open first round yesterday.
But Manassero, who last month became the youngest player to make a cut at the US Masters, shot a solid two-under-par 70 to finish just three shots off the pace.
Ballantine’s Championship winner Marcus Fraser of Australia and Britons Paul Lawrie, Graeme Storm and Robert Rock led by a stroke following five-under-par 67s, while Belfast’s Gareth Maybin shot a fine round of 69 (three under) to leave him two shots off the pace and the leading Irishman in the clubhouse.
“It was a really steady round and I really liked how I played today,” Manassero said.
“I didn’t putt really great but then I didn’t have that many close chances. I was a little nervous on the first tee, like always at big tournaments but fortunately I’m getting used to it.”
Manassero played alongside Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Montgomerie and the young Italian added: “It was nice talking to Colin. We got to know each other.”
Their conversations were largely restricted to the tee because the eight-times European number one was rarely on a fairway as he slumped to a 76. “He was very impressive and he has a good future,” Montgomerie said of his playing partner.
Of his own performance, the 46-year-old added: “My golf is non-explainable.”
Europe’s captain is struggling to make the halfway cut, lying nine strokes behind the leading quartet.
Australian Fraser has returned to Europe following the second tour win of his career, achieved last month in Korea. “I’m trying to keep the same swing thoughts that stood me in good stead in Korea,” he said.
Lawrie, the 1999 British Open winner, looked as though he would lead on his own after holing three 30-foot putts from off the green but dropped a shot at the 17th late in the day.
Manassero had to wait to make his professional debut when the morning’s play was delayed by two hours while the Royal Park course was mopped up following heavy rain the previous day.
The delay meant the first round will have to be completed this morning.
Storm, the 32-year-old former British amateur champion from Hartlepool, had not planned on playing this week, but a shoulder injury which contributed to his worst start to a season since 2005 forced his hand.
“I thought if I played well in Seville last week I would not play as it was my daughter Grace’s second birthday yesterday, but I missed the cut and here I am,” explained Storm, winner of the French Open in 2007.
Darren Clarke shot an eagle on par-five 11th hole but despite that fine effort, the Dungannon man still finished up with a 73.
Simon Thornton was one over when play was suspended, while Kilkenny’s Gary Murphy shot a disappointing 77 (six bogeys and one birdie) to leave him with an uphill battle to make the weekend cut.
First round scores
(18 players still to complete round)
(British unless stated, Irish in bold)
67 – Robert Rock, Paul Lawrie, Marcus Fraser (Aus), Graeme Storm. 68 – David Drysdale, Hennie Otto (Rsa), Stephen Dodd, David Horsey. 69 – Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Marco Soffietti (Ita), Peter Whiteford, Ake Nilsson (Rsa), Gareth Maybin, Pelle Edberg (Swe), Oliver Fisher, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), Martin Ureta (US). 70 – Peter Baker, Nick Dougherty, Matteo Manassero (Ita), Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel), Andrew Coltart, Carlos Rodiles (Spa), Steven O'Hara, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Robert Coles, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg), Lee Slattery, Thomas Bjorn (Den), Ignacio Garrido (Spa). 71 – Mikael Lundberg (Swe), Carlos Del Morral (Spa), Anthony Wall, Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Alastair Forsyth, Benjamin Hebert (Fra), Christian Cevaer (Fra), Chris Wood, Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Marcel Siem (Ger), Peter Gustafsson (Swe), Sam Hutsby, Carl Suneson (Spa), Mark F Haastrup (Den), David Dixon, Phillip Archer, Thomas Levet (Fra), Barry Lane. 72 – Patrik Sjoland (Swe), Steve Webster, Christian Nilsson (Swe), Richard McEvoy, Phillip Price, Andrew Dodt (Aus), Mark Brown (Nzl), Stefano Reale (Ita), Jamie Elson, Julien Clement (Swi), Gregory Bourdy (Fra), Miles Tunnicliff, Lorenzo Gagli (Ita), Edoardo Molinari (Ita). 73 – Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Sion E Bebb, Robert Dinwiddie, Joost Luiten (Ned), Andrew McArthur, Oskar Henningsson (Swe), Michele Reale (Ita), Bradley Dredge, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), Andrea Maestroni (Ita), Richie Ramsay, Henrik Nystrom (Swe), Rhys Davies, Darren Clarke, Paul Broadhurst, Daniel Vancsik (Arg), Stephen Gallacher, James Ruth, Ross McGowan. 74 – Andrew Tampion (Aus), Shiv Kapur (Ind), David Howell, Rafael Echenique (Arg), Scott Drummond, Julien Quesne (Fra), Simon Khan, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Stephan Gross Jnr (Ger), Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa), Jyoti Randhawa (Ind), Nino Bertasio (Ita). 75 – Gary Clark, Gary Boyd, John Parry, James Kingston (Rsa), Benn Barham, Julien Guerrier (Fra), James Morrison, Andrea Perrino (Ita), Gregory Havret (Fra). 76 – Chris Gane, Simon Dyson, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa), Gregory Molteni (Ita), Costantino Rocca (Ita), Sam Little, Anton Haig (Rsa), Andrea Bolognesi (Ita), Colin Montgomerie, David Lynn, Rick Kulacz (Aus), Andrea Pavan (Ita), Tano Goya (Arg), Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra), Emanuele Canonica (Ita), Peter O'Malley (Aus). 77 – Gary Murphy, Paolo Terreni (Ita), Martin Erlandsson (Swe), Markus Brier (Aut). 78 – Marco Ruiz (Par), Roope Kakko (Fin), Steven Jeppesen (Swe). 79 – Andrew Butterfield, Niccolo Quintarelli (Ita), Marc Warren, Paul Waring. 80 – Gary Lockerbie, Fredrik Ohlsson (Swe), Christoph Gunther (Ger). 81 – Brett Rumford (Aus), Mark Foster.
