Danny Chia leads first round with 66

Malaysia's Danny Chia enjoyed a fiery run as he leads the first round of the Carlsberg Masters 2005 Vietnam presented by Thai Airways International after a six-under-par 66 on Thursday.

It was a dream start for the 33-year-old Chia who eagled the par four third hole at the par 72 Chi Linh Star Golf and Country Club. England 's Chris Rodgers was hot on his trail, a stroke off the pace in the US$200,000 Asian Tour event.

Japan 's Yoshinobu Tsukada and Australia 's Alistair Presnell were tied third on 69 while Hong Kong's James Stewart and Philippines veteran Frankie Minoza shot matching 70s to lie in fifth position.

Thaworn Wiratchant, the current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader, began his campaign with a 72 while title holder Angelo Que of the Philippines stumbled to a 76.

Boosted by the brilliant start, Chia birdied the fourth and fifth hole but bogeyed the sixth when he missed a three foot putt. Driven by his determination to keep his full Asian Tour card for next season, he produced two more birdies with a 20 foot putt on the 13th, followed by another birdie on the15th. He ended his day in style with a birdie on the 18th.

“The eagle was fantastic as I hit an excellent drive on the third hole which landed on the green and I holed a long 40-foot putt,” said Chia. “The winds definitely made the holes a lot tougher but you have to work your way through it.

“I am very happy with my overall performance and will be hoping for a similar run tomorrow," added the Malaysia , who is ranked 61st on the Order of Merit. The top-60 players at the end of the year will keep their full cards for 2006 and also qualify for the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia in Bangkok .

England 's Rodgers followed suit as he started off with an eagle on the first hole. Despite the windy conditions, he fired four more birdies and a bogey to stay in close contention.

“I just focused on my game and did not get distracted by the windy conditions,” said Rodgers. “I was extremely pleased with the eagle and I was striking the ball very well. The course is looking very good as sometimes it feels like I'm playing back home in England ,” he said.

“I want to maintain my focus and not get distracted as I hope to stay in the top fray but at the same time will not be putting too much pressure, although I realize that a strong finish here would boost my standings in the Order Of Merit.”

Simon Yates of Scotland , meanwhile, will be determined to enjoy a better day on the greens as he struggled with consistency. He had two birdies and one bogey on the front nine. He had three birdies against as many bogeys on the front nine and was tied with Vietnamese amateur Hyunh Van Son who did well in seventh position. The other golfers tied at seventh place were England 's Nick Redfern, Australia 's Dean Alaban, Adam Groom and Richard Backwell, American duo of Corey Harris and Ron Won, Thailand 's Somkiet Srisanga and Sirapong Maitreeyeungyong , Japan 's Akinori Tani, Chinese Taipei's Lin Chie-hsiang and Korea 's Seuk Jong-ryul.

Local hero Van Son enjoyed the front nine when he birdied the third and fifth holes but had a double bogey on the par fourth 13th hole and a bogey on the 15th. But two birdies in the 16th and 17th pushed the Vietnamese up the ranks as he finished in the top ten.

First Round scores

66 - Danny Chia (MAS)

67 - Chris Rodgers (ENG)

69 - Yoshinobu Tsukada (JPN), Alistair Presnell (AUS)

70 - Frankie Minoza (PHI), James Stewart (HKG)

71 - Nick Redfern (ENG), Dean Alaban (AUS), Ron Won (USA), Simon Yates (SCO), Somkiet Srisanga (THA), Richard Backwell (AUS), Akinori Tani (JPN), Huynh Van Son [A] (VNM), Sirapong Maitreeyeunyong (THA), Lin Chie-Hsiang (TPE), Adam Groom (AUS), Corey Harris ( USA ), Seuk Jong-Ryul (KOR).

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