Manley edges ahead in Portugal
Stuart Manley produced a five under par 31 on the back nine to take a one shot lead after the opening round of the Portugal Masters and then admitted it was his best round of the year.The Welshman birdied his last two holes to sign for a seven under par 65 at Oceânico Victoria Golf Course.
A shot further back India's Jyoti Randhawa joined this morning's leaders Alvaro Quiros of Spain and England's Mark Foster in a tie for second after all three produced six under par rounds of 66.
There was a real battle towards the top of the leaderboard however, with no fewer than seven players a shot further back on five under par, with Sweden`s Martin Erlandsson. Andrew McLardy of South Africa, Dane Søren Kjeldsen, Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, France`s Jean-François Lucquin and English duo Sam Walker and Ross Fisher all going well.
Omega European Masters Champion Lucquin even managed a hole in one at the 168 yard par three eighth as part of his round of 67.
Manley - starting at the tenth - posted birdies at the 12th and 14th holes as he made a positive start.
He picked up another shot at the par five 17th only to bogey the 18th.
But back to back birdies at the second and third set up an incredible back nine, where Manley also gained shots at the second, eighth and ninth holes.
He said of his round: “I`m very delighted, I hit lots of fairways and made a few birdies. The greens were a bit bumpy and it was not the best of draws but for some reason the putts just went in, so quite happy. Hopefully keep it going, could use the money, and best round of the year so far."
Manley is 174th on The Order of Merit and knows a good performance here could help secure his future on The European Tour.
“It`s such a great place to play your golf, it's a privilege, really. So you`ve just got to make the most of this year and hope it improves and be positive. I know it's in there, just got to get it out.”
India`s Randhawa played a steady round, with birdies on the front nine coming at the second, fourth and ninth holes.
He picked up another shot at the par four tenth before a birdie at the par five 12th and another at the 14th completed his scoring in a bogey free round.
Randhawa said: “I enjoyed playing in the sun. It reminds me of back home, nice and sunny. It is supposed to be like this in India this week but it's hot. I like the heat and the sun on the course today.
“The greens and the golf course you can't have it better. It`s beautiful, fantastic.
“You can really go for it in a few places, but a few places you have to be a little careful because the water comes into play a lot of times and I think the way the rough is set up, if you miss on the wrong side, it will be tough to make par there. As long as you are hitting it well, it's a good scoring golf course.”
Quiros reached the turn in a six under par 30 as the Spaniard got off to a flying start. Starting at the tenth this morning, Quiros birdied his opening three holes in a dream start.
He picked up another shot at the short 314 yard par four 15th before back to back birdies at the 17th and 18th. A bogey at the long par five fifth set him back but he produced a birdie at the par three eighth.
“I was hitting the ball very well today from the tee to the green,” he said.
“I had a lot of opportunities for birdie today but I didn't hole a lot of them. I played very well and this is why I finished at six under but I have to improve. To win is a different thing, you have to have luck and good play. But the first thing is to play well and see how the scores are coming.“
Foster also started on the tenth tee and picked his first shot up at the par five 12th. He registered back to back birdies at the 14th and 15th but bogeyed the 207 yard par three 16th.
Consecutive birdies came at the second and par five third before he picked up another at the fifth.
A three at the 509 yard par four seventh ensured the 33 year old from Worksop held a share of the clubhouse lead.
He said: “It was good weather this morning, a nice three ball and we all played nicely, so some good stuff.”
McDowell had just one bogey and a single birdie on the way out having started at the tenth.
But he birdied the 446 yard first and followed that up with consecutive birdies at the third and fourth.
The Northern Irish Ryder Cup player picked up another shot at the par three sixth and completed a back nine 31 with a birdie at the ninth.
McDowell said: “Guys have had a long year and there's no doubt everyone is running on fumes at this point. This is my first time here, so I realised obviously the scoring was very low last year but the course has been toughened up substantially and the rough is penal in places. You've got to hit fairways if you are to have any chance out there.”
South African McLardy - who had seven birdies and two bogeys on his scorecard - admitted he was keen to do well to boost his chances of making the Volvo Masters.
He currently lies 81st on the Order of Merit with only the top 60 heading to Valderrama.
“You want to make the top 60 [of the Order of Merit],” he said.
“And it's the last Valderrama event and of the season. It's motivation, but I was quite carefree today and freed it up and tried to just have a good time.”
Lucquin`s ace came on a front nine which also contained two birdies and bogeys at the first and the seventh.
The Frenchman picked up four birdies in five holes from the tenth, with the other being a bogey to sign for a 67.
Erlandsson was another not to drop a shot today, with three of his five birdies coming on the last five holes.
Walker dropped two shots on the way out but still managed to reach the turn in 33 shots thanks to five birdies. He picked up two more shots on the back nine while his compatriot Fisher recorded six birdies and a bogey.
In the race for The European Order of Merit Robert Karlsson finished three under par with Lee Westwood level par after finding the water en route to a double bogey seven at the par five 17th where he tried to cover 588 yards to the flag in two.
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