Australian Scott Strange covered nine holes in just 28 strokes to fashion an eight-under-par 63 and lead the Wales Open first round by a stroke on Thursday.
Although achieved with preferred lies over a soaking course hit by heavy rain, Strange’s back nine—his opening nine, which included five successive birdies—took him a stroke better than the early leader Edoardo Molinari of Italy.
India’s Jeev Milkha Singh shared third place on six-under with Spaniard Alvaro Velasco.
Despite not being used to bad weather at home in Perth, Strange made light of his commendable foray over the Twenty Ten course at Celtic Manor, which will host the 2010 Ryder Cup.
“I’ve had plenty of 28s back home in Perth, and over 36 holes and not 35 like here,” a delighted Strange, looking to better his Johnnie Walker Classic second place earlier in the season, told reporters.
“Everything is progressing nicely, we’ll have to see what weather we get tomorrow, it might rain, might be foggy, it might even snow.
“We don’t have weather like this back home but I’m enjoying myself.”
Molinari, the 2005 U.S. Amateur champion trying to emulate his brother Francesco and win a European Tour title, had the day’s best reason for contending strongly.
The 27-year-old from Turin, whose brother won their national title in 2006, has been bedeviled by tendonitis in his left wrist for some time.
Through the wife of his manager, who worked at AC Milan, he sought help at the football club, who recommended inserting a plastic gum shield to ease the pain.
“Somehow it worked,” Molinari told reporters after also seeing his putting fortunes change at the Celtic Manor venue.
“They found out I was gritting my teeth and tensing up all down my left side through my shoulder to my wrist.
“I had started shooting really high numbers and for a time I could hardly lift a club. But now I stay relaxed and it’s all gone away completely.”
As the son of a dentist, Molinari admitted he was not the only one to doubt the cure would work. “My dad said ‘I don’t believe this,’ but now he has to admit it works.”
Tournament favorite Padraig Harrington, the British Open champion and world number 12, had a disappointing 70 as he warms up for next month’s U.S. Open.
The start of play was delayed for one hour 45 minutes because of fog.
Last week’s PGA title-winner and European money-list leader Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain retired at the 12th in the morning, suffering from a knee injury.
