Rumford leads with record round

Australian Brett Rumford broke the course record with a seven-under-par 64 to take a two-stroke lead in the Aa St Omer Open first round on Thursday.

The 25-year-old returned to the form that earned him the 1999 ANZ Players Championship as an amateur, producing seven birdies to head Argentine Cesar Monasterio and Sweden's Mattias Eliasson.

Rumford followed up his win on the Australasian tour four years ago with second place in the 2001 Sao Paulo Brazil Open and finished 57th on the 2001 European money-list.

Last year proved a trying one, however, as he lost his card and had to step down to the Challenge Tour.

Now Rumford can recover lost ground in the dual-tour event in northern France if he can go on and earn a one-year exemption to the main tour by claiming the $77,000 first prize.

"I played well last week and two weeks ago when I was fifth and this was a simple 64," said Rumford.

"My aim nowadays is to focus on one round at a time and focus on shooting a number.

"There were a lot of changes for me last year. My brother Mitch stopped caddying for me, it was my first time by myself and I think that took its toll.

"Then I shot nine-under in the first round of qualifying school and it all went wrong, so the Challenge Tour is a process you have to go through if you want to play with the big guys again.

"The aim is to get a card and an exemption is a quick way of doing it."

Briton Denny Lucas, a club mate of 2000 European number one Lee Westwood, was three shots off the lead, while Britain's 1991 Ryder Cup player Paul Broadhurst had two eagles on par-fives to lie five adrift of the leaders.

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