EDOARDO Molinari was among a group of five players tied for the lead at five-under par as blustery conditions made for a tricky day of scoring in round one of the Made in Denmark tournament.
The three-time European Tour winner had got to seven-under par at Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort.
But as the winds increased, he gave up two late bogeys to sign for a 66 and share a one-shot lead with Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares and Cheshire pair Paul Waring and Tom Murray along with Essex’s Matthew Southgate.
Molinari, who claimed his first victory since the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, in 2010 – the last qualifying event before the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor – by winning the 2017 Trophee Hassain, said: “It was quite windy. I hit the ball very solid made a few putts on the front nine, missed a couple coming in when it was very windy, but overall a good day.
“Funnily enough I wasn’t trying to make that many birdies. It was so windy I was just trying to hit greens and give myself good looks at birdies. I made a couple of putts from 15, 20 feet, which always helps. It’s a shame about those two putts coming in or it would have been a really good round.
“I had a hole in one last year on the 16th, so I experienced the best you can get at 16 already. It’s always nice to make a birdie in front of so many people.”
Canizares said: “I kept my focus and my routine and I was really relaxed out there. I tried to be comfortable with any outcome that happened. I didn’t hit it my best but I made some good putts and some birdies and it’s a great round.
“It got difficult in the end with the wind, but made a couple of good pars, a couple of up and downs and I’m really pleased.
“The highlight was probably the drive I hit on 18. It hit a stake and it prevented it from going in the water, it kicked out from the water. That was a very, very lucky highlight.”
Defending champion Matt Wallace – fresh off finishing third at last week’s USPGA Championship – is at four-under alongside American John Catlin, Benjamin Hebert of France, Scot Robert Macintyre, and Swedish pair Pelle Edberg and Joakim Lagergren.
Wallace, from Hertfordshire’s Moor Park, said: “I’ve had three very different ways of playing (over the last three weeks) but all very similar winds.
“Going out there relatively early and picking up four birdies on my front nine to start the tournament was good. I’m a little bit jaded so might take this afternoon off, but we’re in good shape.
“It’s going in the right direction. I’m working hard for it, it’s not like it has just come randomly. There are more bits that I want to work on, bits I want to improve.
“There’s a long way to go for the rest of the year and I haven’t won yet this season. It’s important to me to try to get that and we’ll try to do that this week.”
In another interesting twist at the tournament that is famed for fan-friendly innovations, this week the players reach the 14th tee via a walkway that snakes through a hospitality tent packed with spectators.
Murray, the son of former European Open winner Andrew Murray, who commentates on BBC Radio, said: “It was tricky out there. I reckon anything under par was a pretty good score today, so at five-under I’m very pleased.
“I’ve done a lot of work with my coach, coming off a patch where I’ve played pretty poorly the last few weeks, and I’ve been feeling a lot better.
“Nothing exceptional, I just kept it in play really. My one bogey was a three putt on my ninth hole, the 18th, which was a bit disappointing.
“In this wind the putting was pretty difficult, but I putted quite nicely, kept it in play and just missed it in the right spots.”
“The 14th is a very unique hole, and over the weekend that is going to be pretty cool I think. It was a perfect three wood for me today, so a relatively easy birdie.”
Italian Nino Bertasio, Victor Dubuisson of France, Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger are amongst a group of 18 players two shots back on three-under, with a total of 46 players within three shots of the lead.
Dane
Martin Simonsen got the first big cheer of the week from the famous
Himmerland Hill as he made the 13th hole-in-one of the season at the par
three 16th hole, where thousands of fans greet every birdie with squeaky birds, bought in aid of Danish charity KidsAid.A
