Fichardt leads with record round

New U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen's former World Cup partner Darren Fichardt proved he too can play in rigorous conditions when the South African broke Le National course record with a first round five-under-par 66 at the French Open on Thursday.

Fichardt played his back nine, the course's front nine, in 31 strokes, to match Ian Woosnam's earlier return coming home, but went out in level-par to the 46-year-old Briton's one-over for his first nine.

That left Fichardt one stroke ahead of former Masters champion and ex-world number one Woosnam, who had set the record at the revamped Le National with a 67 on a windier morning.

Fichardt still had tight fairways and heavy rough to deal with at France's national golf stadium, but, after a tentative start and one huge escape, settled down to lead the field.

Remarkably, he had played no golf for two weeks while holidaying in Florida and only picked up his clubs two days ago to prepare for France.

He said: "I started my round not swinging so well, understandable as I'd not hit a club for so long. I putted well but my vital hole was the seventh (his 16th) where the wind caught the ball and nearly took it out of bounds.

"I went into the hazard and took a drop but then hit a seven-iron 196 yards to 12 metres and sank the putt."

Woosnam confounded his own theory only last month that his game had deteriorated badly enough to even think about early retirement.

He is bidding for his 30th European Tour title and 45th worldwide, seven years after his last, but less than three years after he claimed the World Matchplay title.

He was assisted by a one-iron he first started using in 1983 and by switching back for the first time since March to a normal sized putter which ran in two putts of 30ft and one of 18ft.

Woosnam said: "I decided to use my old one-iron that I first used in the 1983 Lancome Trophy, because I'd heard that the Sunningdale course where I'm playing my British Open qualifier on Monday, was running (fast), but it turned out to be useful here."

He added: "Today was like playing in the British Open, all about keeping the ball in play and then holing a few putts."

Australian Richard Green lies third after a 68 but the rough and tough conditions left most players struggling.

His fellow-countryman Robert Allenby, four days after his exhilarating finish at Shinnecock Hills, could only manage a 76, while Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer shot 77, but they were by no means the worst performers.

Swede Klas Eriksson ran up an 11 on the par-four 15th, two years after he made a 13 in the Portuguese Open, and to prove it was not all South Africa's day, Fichardt's compatriot Hennie Otto made a 10 and Desvonde Botes, had two nines.

Botes closed on 89, Otto on 81 and Eriksson on 80

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