Bet on this tournament & other sports here

Campbell takes early advantage with 62

New Zealand's Michael Campbell fired a flawless round of 10-under-par 62 Thursday for a four-shot lead after 18 holes of the Deutsche Bank - SAP Open TPC of Europe at St. Leon Rot in Germany. Defending champion Lee Westwood shot 66 for joint second with Lucas Parsons, Eduardo Romero and Ernie Els.

World No. 1 Tiger Woods, taking a break from the PGA Tour in the U.S. to play this event for the third straight year, carded five birdies and two bogeys for a 69 and a share of 10th place at three-under par.

First-round play was suspended due to darkness with half the field yet to tee off. Heavy rain Wednesday night into Thursday morning delayed the start of the opening round by seven hours.

Campbell's 62, the lowest round of his career, was three shots better than Nick Price's course record from 1999. However, since the soggy course conditions brought the lift, clean and place rule into effect, Campbell's stellar score will not count as the new 18-hole mark at St. Leon Rot.

"I hit the ball great today and sunk a few long putts," said Campbell, whose win at the Heineken Classic in February was his fourth on the European Tour. "Most of my birdie putts were from four or five feet. I struck the ball very nicely and hit it close a lot of times. That helps. It makes the game easier."

Campbell started on the back nine first and made his way out in 31 with a pair of 10-foot birdie putts mixed in with three shorter birdies. He followed up a two-putt birdie at the par-five first with a 12-footer at the second that took him to seven-under.

He added three more birdies over a four-hole stretch from the fourth, culminating in a 25-foot putt to get to double figures at No. 7.

"It's at least a two-shot advantage playing off preferred lies," admitted Campbell. "You can wipe the ball clean and place it nice and high. It's a big advantage for all of us."

Westwood, who overtook Woods with a final-round 64 to claim last year's title at Gut Kaden in Hamburg, also started at the 10th on Thursday. He hovered at even with three opening pars but quickly climbed the leaderboard with four consecutive birdies beginning at 13. He negated a birdie at the first with a bogey that was the result of a blocked drive at the third.

The 28-year-old Englishman hit a driver off the deck that landed in a greenside bunker at the par-five fifth and he blasted out to 15 feet for a birdie. He posted another at the ninth after an eight-iron to 12 feet.

"I am not playing as well as I was in this tournament last year," said Westwood, who also triumphed at this event in Hamburg in 1998. "Then I was hitting the ball much, much better. There is still time -- three long, long days to go."

Els, who missed the cut last week at the PGA Tour's Byron Nelson Classic, turned in a bogey-free round that featured a three-wood from 263 yards out to set up a four-foot eagle putt at the 540-yard first.

"I left a birdie chance on the last just short," said the strapping South African, twice a winner of the U.S. Open. "I could have got it a little bit better but I am really pleased with the way I played and looking forward to nine holes or whatever tomorrow."

The players that were scheduled to tee off on Thursday afternoon will play 36 holes on Friday, while the morning groups that finished round one will start later and have to complete the second round on Saturday.

Woods, who won the only other Deutsche Bank tournament to be held at St. Leon Rot in 1999, made five birdies and two bogeys over his first 11 holes before making his way home with eight straight pars. Although he had makeable birdie putts on the final three holes, he missed each attempt to the left.

"I really didn't play all that good today, but I played good enough to get myself in the ball game," said Woods, who has won the last four of golf's majors. "I just grinded it out, got it around and made a couple of putts when I had to, but I didn't really do anything that would really hurt me in the round but I didn't really do anything great either."

Greg Owen, Richard Green, Andrew Coltart and Paul Eales are knotted in sixth place at minus-four.

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page