Donald finds way to top of Honda Classic leaderboard
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) – Luke Donald’s opening round in The Honda Classic was far from perfect. He missed five greens and seven fairways, including five straight. And conditions at windy, cool PGA National were hardly optimal for scoring. Yet somehow, Donald found a way to post the Honda’s best score in three years.
A bogey-free 64 Thursday gave Donald a one-shot lead over Brian Davis and a two-shot edge on Matt Jones after the first round of the Honda – an event Donald won two years ago when it was at nearby Mirasol, a considerably easier track.
Donald posted the lowest round at a Honda since Padraig Harrington shot a final-round 63 to win in 2005 at Mirasol, and the 64 was the best in 704 tournament rounds since the event moved to PGA National – where Mark Wilson’s winning score a year ago was 5 under. Wilson shot a 73 on Thursday.
Matt Jones (66) was alone in third, two shots off the pace, with a slew of others – including Ernie Els, the world’s No. 4 player – three shots back.
Jose Coceres, who lost to Wilson in a four-man playoff last year, and Jesper Parnevik were in a group within four shots of Donald at 68.
HSBC Champions
SINGAPORE – Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa got off to a fast start in her first round of the season, shooting a bogey-free 6-under 66 at Tanah Merah to take a one-stroke lead in the HSBC Women’s Champions.
The Mexican star, an eight-time winner last season, star skipped the LPGA Tour’s opening two events in Hawaii and also missed the World Cup.
Paula Creamer, coming off a victory Sunday in the Fields Open in Hawaii, and Japan’s Ai Miyazato opened with 67s in the inaugural 78-player event that features 18 of the top 20 players in the world.
Sweden’s Linda Wessberg was two strokes back at 68 along with South Koreans Kim In-kyung and Lee Jee-young, while Australia’s Karrie Webb shot a 69 in her first LPGA Tour start of the year. Annika Sorenstam opened with a 71. She won her 70th LPGA Tour title at the SBS Open in Hawaii, ending a 17-month victory drought.
Johnnie Walker Classic
GURGAON, India – Indian caddie-turned-pro Shamim Khan and Daniel Vancsik each shot 5-under-67 to share the first-round lead at the Johnnie Walker Classic.
Adam Scott of Australia was one stroke back.
Khan had a bogey-free round with five birdies. Vancsik had five birdies and an eagle -_ on the par-5 ninth – to make up for his two bogeys at the DLF Golf and Country Club.
“I played very well from tee to the greens, but wasn’t so good on the greens,” said Vancsik, an Argentine. “Some of the greens were very fast and the others very slow, depending on the grain.”
Khan is winless in 13 years as a professional on India’s domestic tour.
“When the birdies began coming, I kept setting new targets for myself,” he said.
Vijay Singh shot 70, in a 12-way tie for 24th.
“I didn’t putt particularly well and threw away a few shots. I did not face any problems, just caused them myself,” he said. “The greens are very hard to putt on.”
Colin Montgomerie shot 74 and Ian Poulter had a 76, including three double-bogeys over four holes.
Copyright Associated Press 2008