2007 Open - Round 1: Ghei 65 grabs the lead with Daly two behind

Indian stalwart Gaurav Ghei grabbed the opening round lead after a solid seven-under-par 65 with big-htting American double major winner John Daly lurking two strokes back at the Pine Valley Beijing Open on Thursday.

Ghei, a two-time winner in Asia, took advantage of the calm conditions in the early morning and enjoyed a steady round that included an eagle at the Pine Valley Golf Resort and Country Club.

A stroke adrift in second place was Thai rookie Panuwat Muenlek who was equally impressive while Daly was in lone third place after a 67 in the US$500,000 event. Australia’s Adam Le Vesconte was back in the swing of things firing a 68 in tied fourth spot alongside South African Hendrik Buhrmann and England’s Ben St. John.

Wu Kang-chun was the highest ranked local player in joint seventh position when he carded a 69 together with Singapore’s Mardan Mamat, who celebrated his 200th appearance on the Asian Tour this week. Also in tied seventh place was Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat, currently ranked 10th on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit, Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang, Americans Edward Michaels and Anthony Kang, Australian trio of Brad Kennedy, Scott Strange and Neven Basic, Brad Iles of New Zealand and Welshman Craig Smith.

Ghei, who had ended an 11-year wait with a triumph at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters last year, was on the go at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course when he fired an eagle at the par five second hole and coupled with seven birdies against two bogeys, the Indian talent continues to enjoy the ride this season.

“It is good to always think back on your win and if I can keep this up, it would be nice to be among the leaders in the final round. But this is still the early stages and anything can happen,” said Ghei, who blazed past the back nine with five birdies.

The 38-year-old Indian continued his momentum with an eagle on the second hole and a birdie on the fourth before two dropped shots on the fifth and seventh holes. He rolled into the lead with a final birdie on the eighth hole.

“I’ve been playing consistently the last few tournaments. The course is in great shape and it just depends. If the wind blows, anything is possible. I’m playing well and hope to be in contention this week.

“It definitely is a course which suits the long hitters because the fairways are generous and we have guys like John Daly who is a Major winner in the field, is it going to be a tough week to beat these guys. I’m playing well and hopefully I can continue this momentum over the next three days,” admitted Ghei.

Panuwat enjoyed a dream start with two eagles, a birdie and a bogey in the first four holes. With four more birdies against two bogeys to close his round, the Thai youngster hopes to maintain his steady performance this week.

“I was surprised with the way I started with the two eagles. I will try to deliver a similar result and make the cut first, that’s my priority of course. Although I am currently in a good position, I won’t have any expectations and put pressure on myself unnecessarily,” said Panuwat, who turned pro in 2005.

Panuwat picked up the game at the age of eight and has won 10 amateur titles on the domestic circuit. The 21-year-old finished in the top-10 at the Motorola International Bintan last month and is playing in his third event this year.

Daly, who was well rested ahead of the challenges this week, delivered a determined run with six birdies against a lone dropped shot.

“I came here Saturday and have been working hard on my game. You have to be well rested to play golf these days,” said Daly, a five-time winner on the US PGA Tour.

“I got lucky. The wind wasn’t blowing this morning so anytime you can get out there without the wind blowing, it favours you. I hope to take this round and use the confidence heading into tomorrow.

“I hit the ball solid and it’s nice to do that and get confidence in your game. The only mess up was at hole number five. I just came out of a drive and had a tough second shot and three putted that par four fifth hole. But it’s nice to know I’m hitting the ball good and playing well overall,” added the Californian born talent.

Leading first round scores (click here for the full leaderboard):

65 - Gaurav Ghei (IND)

66 - Panuwat Muenlek (THA)

67 - John Daly (USA)

68 - Hendrik Buhrmann (RSA), Adam Le Vesconte (AUS), Ben St John (ENG)

69 - Edward Michaels (USA), Lin Wen-Tang (TPE), Chapchai Nirat (THA), Mardan Mamat (SIN), Scott Strange (AUS), Wu Kang-chun (CHN), Brad Iles (NZL), Neven Basic (AUS), Anthony Kang (USA), Brad Kennedy (AUS), Craig Smith (WAL

70 - Ashley Hall (AUS), Liu Anda (CHN), Rowan Beste (AUS), Liang Wen-chong (CHN), Lu Wei-lan (TPE), Tony Carolan (AUS), Adam Blyth (AUS), Vivek Bhandari (IND), Taichiro Kiyota (JPN), Wang Lei (CHN), Angelo Que (PHI), Unho Park (AUS)

Young Nam (KOR), Stephen Scahill (NZL), Ben Leong (MAS), Somkiat Srisanga (THA)

April 26, 2007