Manassero rallies to take clubhouse lead
Italy’s Matteo Manassero overcame a disastrous start by shooting a four-under-par 68 to seize the first round clubhouse lead at the weather-disrupted Hero Indian Open on Thursday.
The 23-year-old, who is a four-time winner on the European Tour, double bogeyed his opening hole on 10 at the DLF Golf and Country Club’s Gary Player course but fought back superbly with seven birdies against another bogey to seize the early initiative in the US$1.75 million tournament tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and Indian Golf Union.
The ultra-challenging DLF course bared its fangs with some holes seeing scores as high as a 12 and a couple of 10s but Manassero, chasing his first win in nearly four years, stayed mostly out of trouble after his opening hole blemish.
"I started well, which was important because I have been three weeks at home and to come back to a tough course like this, it's never easy," said the Italian. "So the fact that I found a lot of birdies, it's very, very positive and I'll try to keep it that way.
"You have to be always in play, otherwise there will be a lot of high numbers and a lot of doubles. It's very easy to lose shots on this course."
A total of 66 players will return to the course at 7am, Friday to conclude their second rounds following a 90-minute suspension in the afternoon due to the threat of lightning.
Amongst them is England’s David Horsey, who is on top of the leaderboard at five under through 15 holes after picking up five birdies in a bogey-free performance.
Malaysia’s Danny Chia and Angelo Que of the Philippines battled to shoot matching 70s to stay within striking reach of Manassero but early favourite Anirban Lahiri of India, the Asian Tour number one in 2015, required two closing birdies to salvage a 76.
As things stand:
-5 %uD83C%uDDEC%uD83C%uDDE7 @DaveHorsey (15)
-4 %uD83C%uDDEE%uD83C%uDDF9 @ManasseroMatteo
-3 %uD83C%uDDEC%uD83C%uDDE7 @PepperellEddie
-3 %uD83C%uDDEA%uD83C%uDDF8 @CarlosPigem (16)
-3 %uD83C%uDDEB%uD83C%uDDF7 @GregHavret (12) pic.twitter.com/h1b5XeonqB— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 9, 2017
Latest
-
NewsLocal knowledge helps Robin Roussel claim a share of the Alfred Dunhill lead
Scotland’s Scott Jamieson lies a shot behind following a 66.
-
NewsPaul Casey a surprise entrant for 2021 Saudi International
Casey opted out of the inaugural event in 2019, citing concerns over the country’s human rights record.
-
NewsJoy, relief as golf courses in England given green light to reopen from December 2
Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the good news on Monday.
-
NewsJoachim B Hansen makes up for Italian Open disappointment with Joburg victory
The Dane withdrew from the final round in Italy after his caddie tested positive for Covid-19.
-
NewsJoachim B Hansen launches late fightback to win Joburg Open
Hansen trailed by three shots with nine holes to play but won by two strokes.
-
NewsMatt Wallace shrugs off loss of caddie to Covid-19 to grab share of RSM Classic lead
Wallace’s regular caddie, Dave McNeilly, tested positive for Covid but a local caddie was ready to step in.
-
NewsWilco Nienaber admits ‘it’s great to be home’ after strong first round
The South African fired an eagle, eight birdies and two bogeys in an opening eight-under-par 63.
-
NewsFrom The Horse’s Mouth Podcast: Shane Lowry on Masters experience, playing with Tiger
Open champion Shane Lowry spills the beans on his Masters experience and playing three rounds with Tiger Woods.
-
NewsPetition to exempt golf from lockdown set for Parliamentary debate next week
The document has received more than 257,000 signatures.
-
NewsThe Most Memorable Hole-in-ones in History
Statisticians pitch the probability for a golf pro making a hole-in-one at around 1 in 2,500.