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Els sets first day pace
South Africans Ernie Els
and Omar Sandys shared the first-round lead with 7-under-par 65s as the inaugural
Dunhill Links Championship began Thursday on three courses.
Els carded his score at
Carnoustie. Sandys played his round on the Old Course.
Fog in the early morning
delayed play on all three courses, and 44 players had not completed their rounds
at Kingsbarns.
Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina
and Jonathan Lomas of England had 67s on the Old Course, and Peter Fowler of Australia
matched that at Kingsbarns.
Els, a two-time U.S. Open
champion, struggled in the wind and rain at the start of his round, making just
one birdie on the front nine. He birdied six straight holes from the 10th before
closing with three pars.
``At first I just wanted
to stay alive,'' Els said. ``It was crazy the way it was blowing and raining.
It was almost ridiculous. But then I got it going.''
U.S. Open champion Retief
Goosen, the European Order of Merit leader, had a 69 at Carnoustie. Darren Clarke
second to the South African, shot 72 on the same course.
Jean Van de Velde, the Frenchman
who became a cult hero when he blew the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie with a
triple-bogey 7 at the last hole, fared better there Thursday.
``I drove the ball well
right, then hit a 4-iron just off the green to the left, pin-high,'' Van de Velde
said. ``I chipped to 20 feet and holed for par. I was luckier than I was on the
18th in 1999. It was an enjoyable day.''
Van de Velde finished with
a 71.
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