| Madeira,
Portugal, 18th June 1998 -
Britain's David Tapping equalled his career-best 66 to take a two-shot first round
lead in the Madeira Island Open at Santo da Serra on Thursday. Tapping
led from Trinidad's Stephen Ames, Thomas Gögele of Germany, Spaniard
Santiago Luna and fellow-Englishman Roger Winchester. The
23-year-old Tapping's six-under-par score ended a barren 10-month spell and was
in theory a stroke better than his 66 at last year's British Open, which was five
under Royal Troon's par of 71. But
he naturally placed that 66 higher on his achievement list as it boosted him to
fourth place after two rounds of the Open. But
Tapping fell away to finish joint 44th there and his decline has continued. This
year he has missed 12 out of 15 cuts with a best finish of 62nd place. But
eight birdies against two bogeys, one of which came on a three-putt final hole,
put him in front. "It's
been 10 months of pergatory," Tapping said. "I
was playing really sweet golf during the month of July last year but since then
its all been a bit of a struggle. "I've
been looking for the right answers but it's taken until this week before I've
found them. "My
brain was in two minds out there, though. One minute it was saying this is going
to end and the next it was saying you can birdie anything. It was one of those
'you can do no wrong' days." Of
his four nearest challengers, Ames and Luna, the 1995 Madeira champion, look to
be the biggest threats. Ames,
who resumes his bid for American rookie of the year when he returns to the U.S.
Tour after the British Open now that his visa has been revalidated, picked up
five shots over the last eight holes. There
were two holes in one, both achieved with six-irons. Japan's
Katsuyoshi Tomori got one at the 220-yard fourth while Austrian Rudi Sailer, nephew
of former Olympic and World Champion downhill skier Toni, made his at the 172-yard
15th. Both shot 70s. | 
