Anthony Kang of the United States bounced back into form by taking the joint clubhouse lead with Rikard Karlberg of Sweden at the Macau Open presented by Cityneon with an opening five-under-par 66 on Thursday.
Kang, winner of the 2009 Maybank Malaysian Open, fired seven birdies against two bogeys that was matched by 2010 Asian Tour Rookie of the Year Karlberg at the Macau Golf and Country Club.
Anthony Kang
Chinese Taipei’s Wang Ter-chang, winner of the 2005 Macau Open, birdied the last hole to trail the leaders by one stroke in the US$750,000 full field Asian Tour showpiece. Asian Tour honorary member Jeev Milkha Singh of India, playing in his first Macau Open since 1999, was bunched up on 68 with six other golfers.
Kang, 38, wielded a hot putter where he made 26 putts and was delighted to rediscover some of the form which won him three Asian Tour titles.
“A lot of my birdies were within 15 feet. I struggled a bit with ball striking coming down the stretch but thank goodness for the wedge and putter,” said Kang, who has been playing on the Asian Tour since 1998.
He placed in seventh place at the 2005 Macau Open and hopes to continue his superb form in the last three rounds.
“My short game has improved and I’m hitting a lot of fairways and greens. You really don’t notice it as you are playing but it adds up to a stroke saved here and there and before you know it you are on the good side of the cut,” added the Korea-American.
Playing in his first Macau Open, Karlberg, who finished third on the Order of Merit last year, rued yardages miscalculations but recovered with some superb putting. The highlight of his round came when he sank a difficult 15 feet birdie putt on the par four fifth hole.
“I got off to a good streak in the second nine (started 10th tee). I felt good and some putts dropped which haven’t been happening to me lately. The birdie on five felt great because it is such a tough hole.
“The golf course is great. It is a course where you remember every hole. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep my momentum,” said the 24-year-old, who won two Asian Tour titles last season.
Veteran Wang continued playing his best golf despite his age of 49. His confidence is soaring as he was in contention at the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic before finishing in tied 24th place last week.
“This is my 12th year playing in Macau and I feel very comfortable here. The competition gets tougher every year and the course is good for the big hitters and young players. A player of my age has to put in more effort to play well,” smiled Wang, who birdied four of his last six holes.
The Macau Open has been a regular fixture on the Asian Tour calendar and has previously attracted some of the world’s best players. The tournament has been won by many world stars, including Lee Westwood of England (1999) and Colin Montgomerie of Scotland (2003).
The Macau Open presented by Cityneon will be beamed live during all four rounds on the Asian Tour’s television platform of over 200 nations and 850 million homes, ensuring that Macau will be the centre of attention during the week.
Anthony Kang of the United States bounced back into form by taking the joint clubhouse lead with Rikard Karlberg of Sweden at the Macau Open presented by Cityneon with an opening five-under-par 66 on Thursday.
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