World No. 1 Rory McIlroy watched Tiger Woods win the World Golf Championshiop at Mount Juliet in 2002 – now he hopes he can win a second Irish Open at the Kilkenny course.

RORY McIlroy will make a much-anticipated return to the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Mount Juliet Estate in May.

The four-time Major winner will join his fellow Northern Irishman, close friend and tournament host Graeme McDowell, when McIlroy tees it up at the second Rolex Series event of the 2020 Race to Dubai season.

The current World No. 1 will head a star-studded field which also includes defending champion Jon Rahm and the reigning Open Champion Shane Lowry, when the event takes place from May 28-31.

McIlroy will be targeting a second victory in an event which he himself hosted from 2015-18 – helping elevate the historic national open to become one of the European Tour’s eight premier Rolex Series events.

The 30-year-old famously lifted the trophy at the K Club in 2016, delighting the home crowds with a swashbuckling display down the stretch to hold off Scot Russell Knox – who went on to claim the title in 2017 – and Welshman Bradley Dredge.

“I’m looking forward to it a lot,” said McIlroy. “It’s a bit different going back for a May date as opposed to July, and at a parkland course at Mount Juliet.

“I’ve never played the course but got good memories – it was the first time I ever watched Tiger Woods play in person.

“My dad drove me down and we watched the WGC there and that was really cool, so it’ll be exciting to tee it up there myself and try to win a tournament there.”

Dubai Duty Free chief executive Colm McLoughlin said: “We are delighted Rory has confirmed his attendance at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Mount Juliet.

“Our involvement as title sponsor of the tournament began when Rory took on the hosting duties in 2015, and he did a great job in raising the profile of the event.

“We are looking forward to a great week in Kilkenny and working with Mount Juliet, the European Tour, this year’s host Graeme McDowell, Sport Ireland and all of the other entities to make this event a great success.”

Mount Juliet already boasts a prestigious list of winners after a three-year stint of hosting the event – with Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Sam Torrance winning in 1993, 1994 and 1995 respectively – and McIlroy will be hoping to join that list in May.

The luxury five-star resort in Kilkenny also hosted Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf in 1997 – a challenge match between Tom Watson and Fred Couples, won by the latter – as well as the WGC-American Express Championship in 2002 and 2004 – won by Tiger Woods and Ernie Els respectively.

Buy early bird tickets by March 3

EARLY bird ticket prices begin at €13 for the Wednesday pro-am day, with Thursday and Friday day tickets available for a special price of €23.

Saturday and Sunday tickets begin at €27. Fans can enjoy five days of world-class golf and entertainment for only €83 if they purchase their season tickets prior to Tuesday, March 3.

Children under 12 years of age are entitled to free entry when accompanied by an adult.

Day junior tickets for kids aged between 12 and 17 years of age are €10 (season ticket €25), while students aged between 18 and 24 with valid ID, and over 65s, can buy concession tickets.

The latter cost €15 for Thursday and Friday, €20 for Saturday and Sunday (€60 for a season). Parking access can be purchased for €5 per day, or €10 to cover all five days.

The only official sales channel to purchase tickets is via ticketing platform Eventbrite by clicking here.

The resale of Dubai Duty Free Irish Open tickets on unofficial platforms contravenes the European Tour’s ticket terms and conditions and render the tickets void.

Official hospitality tickets are also available on the ticketing page, or by calling the Euorpean Tour sales team on (01344) 840681.

The post World No 1 McIlroy confirms entry for Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Mount Juliet appeared first on Golf North.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout stormed into the first round lead at the Dimension Data Pro Am with a superb 11-under par 61, at Fancourt’s Outeniqua Course. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

CHRISTIAAN Bezuidenhout took full advantage of benign early conditions at Fancourt Golf Estate to post an 11-under par round of 61 on the opening day of the Dimension Data Pro-Am.

The South African, who lost a play-off against Australian Lucas Herbert at last month’s Dubai Desert Classic, recorded a blemish-free round on the Outeniqua Course.

Bezuidenhout will take a two-stroke lead into the second day ahead of Spain’s Santiago Tarrio Ben, who recorded a nine-under par 63 on the Montagu Course.

Meanwhile four-time Major Champion Ernie Els and Portuguese 20-year-old Stephen Ferreira were a shot further back at eight-under.

The World No. 60 made the turn in 31 strokes and required one fewer on the way in to take full advantage of the generous Outeniqua Course, recording the lowest round of his career in the process.

“I got off to a good start today with birdies on the first couple of holes,” said Bezuidenhout, who won the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama, in June.

“It was crucial to get off to a good start because, over the years, the Outeniqua has been the scoreable course so I’m obviously very happy with my 61.

“I was especially happy with my start – I was four-under after five holes, so that also helps,” added 25-year-old Bezuidenhout, whose sole Sunshine Tour win came in the 2016 Sun Fish River Challenge.

“It’s a bit shorter than the other courses and there’s a bit of space to miss here and there.

“All the par fives are reachable, so you want to make birdies on them and there are also four or five short-ish par fours where you’re only going into the green with a wedge, so you need to take advantage of those.

“I know I’m close to breaking into the world’s top 50, but I set myself a goal to finish the year inside the top 50,” said the Johannesburg pro who also won twice on the Big Easy Tour, in 2015.

“If it doesn’t happen this week, then I’m just going to keep going and see if I can achieve my goal by the end of the year.”

The Dimension Data Pro-Am celebrates its 25th anniversary this year – and with the European Challenge Tour co-sanctioning the event with the Sunshine Tour for the first time in 2020 – Bezuidenhout hopes to see it go from strength-to-strength in the future.

“This tournament just seems to get bigger and better every year, with better players,” Bezuidenhout added.

“It’s great to see the partnership with the Challenge Tour and the Sunshine Tour,so hopefully it can keep growing for the next few years as well.

“This is an unbelievable place, one of my favourite places in South Africa. I normally come here during our summer breaks and it’s just beautiful.

“All three courses are in great condition, the weather is perfect, so I can’t complain.”

The majority of low scores were carded on the Outeniqua Course on day one, with only six of the top 17 playing the Montagu or The Links first off.

A shot behind Els and Ferreira is a group of seven players on seven-under, including Limpopo Championship winner JC Ritchie and multiple European Tour winners George Coetzee, Haydn Porteous and Germany’s Marcel Siem.

Every player will tee it up on each of three courses at Fancourt Golf Estate this week, with leader Bezuidenhout taking to The Links at 9.20am local time for his second round on Friday.

•For live scoring from the Fancourt Golf Estate, click here.

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Louis Oosthuizen will defend the South African Open title he won at Randpark Golf Club in 2019 but face stiff competition from fellow countrymen including Branden Grace.
Picture by GETTY IMAGES.

DEFENDING champion Louis Oosthuizen would love to make a successful defence of his South African Open title.

But the 2010 Open Champion will have some serious competition from two more home favourites desperate to lift one of the oldest trophies in golf at Johannesburg’s Randpark GC this week.

Oosthuizen has been at the very top of the game ever since he claimed the Claret Jug at St Andrews.

He achieved another long held ambition when winning his national open for the first time 12 months ago.

With Ernie Els eligibile for the senior circuit since last season, Oosthuizen will now become the flagbearer for a proud golfing nation at the age of just 37… and he will have plenty of support.

While 20-somethings Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Brandon Stone and Erik van Rooyen are making a name for themselves at the start of their careers, experienced heads like Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel continue to compete at the very top in their 30s.

Grace and Schwartzel have 19 European Tour wins between them including a Major Championship and a Rolex Series win – but have yet to lift the trophy at the second oldest open in golf.

And Oosthuizen knows all too well how special ending the long wait for that victory is.

“It means a lot,” Oosthuizen said. “I was wanting to win it for a long time. It’s always nice coming back and just playing it, defending it is very special.

“It was a tournament I was really trying to get to win with all the great champions on there: Ernie, Retief (Goosen), Mr Player, all of them. I wanted to have my name on the trophy.

“It was nice having a big lead at the end there so I could take it all in,” added Louis, who will play alongside Bezuidenhout on the Bushwillow Course, at 8.35am local time, in Thursday’s first round.

The last player to win the South African Open back to back was another South African Major winner Trevor Immelman in 2003 and 2004 – the second victory four years before he claimed a Green Jacket at the Augusta Masters.

Schwartzel – the 2011 Masters winner – secured his seventh top five at this event last season.

But the South African – who claimed the Brabazon Trophy at the English Amateur Strokeplay at Royal Cinque Ports, in Kent 18 years ago as an 17-year-old – saw the rest of his 2019 campaign derailed by a wrist injury.

A top three on his return at the Alfred Dunhill Championship before Christmas showed Charl is close to a full recovery.

And Schwartzel is aching to get over the line at Randpark Golf Club for a ninth European Tour win in South Africa – having won the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopark Creek four times between 2004 and 2015.

“It’s been a quest of mine for quite some time,” said Schwartzel. “I’ve come real close a lot of times, I’ve thrown one or two away, but at least I’ve been up there quite a few times.

“Hopefully I’ll break through. It’ll be a dream come true. As a South African, it’s definitely high on the list.”

Grace won his first European Tour title at the 2012 Joburg Open and has since added the biggest titles in South African golf with the Alfred Dunhill Championship, the Dimension Data Pro-Am and the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

And the 31-year-old feels a win this week can complete his set on home soil although three of the last five winners have been English – Sullivan, Graeme Storm (2017) and Chris Paisley (2018), although they all won at Glendower GC.

“This is the one that I’m missing,” Grace said. “This is the one that I need, this is the one that is short for me to win it all in South Africa.

“I’ve been close a few times now so hopefully the time is ticking on for me to put my hands on this one.

“It would mean the world,” added Grace, who will join Van Rooyen and 2015 winner Andy Sullivan in their three-ball, which tees off at 11.55am local time on the Firethorn Course.

The latter will host the weekend’s play after the 240-strong field have played a round on each of the two courses being used this week.

•For tee times for the first round of the South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg, click here. To follow first round scoring click here.

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Zander Lombard has won €1.2m so far in his European Tour career – he leads the €2.5m Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City with 36 holes to play. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

ZANDER Lombard continued his recent run of fine form to take a two shot-lead into the weekend at South Africa’s Nedbank Golf Challenge.

The South African, who topped last season’s Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, carded a round of 65 to get to 11-under par.

Lombard, who came closest to his breakthrough win losing a play-off in the Rocca Forte Open, in Sicily two years ago, said: “Playing with two legends of the game, it was nervy.

“But I settled down quickly with a birdie on the second and it was just all really good vibes from there. I played really well.

“The crowds were at their max and all into it. They were cheering and they were fantastic,” said Lombard, who did win the European Tour Qualifying School, at Lumine, in Spain, a year ago today.

“They were cheering for Ernie and Lee at the start, but I won them over at the end, so it was awesome.

Lombard, who lost in the final of the 2014 Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush, in 2015, is aware of the life-changing sums on offer to the winner at Sun City’s Gary Player Country Club.

“It’s a huge opportunity, and just need to keep myself calm and do the same on the weekend,” said 24-year-old Zander, who has won €1.2million in 95 European Tour events so far in his career.

“I’ve got a great team behind me and the processes are in place. I’m going to stick to my processes.

“It sounds cliché, but it’s as simple as that and we’ll see where it puts me at the end of the week,” said Lombard, who did win one of the Sunshine Tour’s Vodacom Origins Pro-Ams in 2018.

Compatriot Louis Oosthuizen – the 2010 Open Champion – got to nine-under, alongside Belgian Thomas Detry to trail Lombard in the seventh Rolex Series tournament of the season – the penultimate event of the 2019 Race to Dubai.

All three were in a tie for the lead after Lombard – who was playing alongside defending champion Lee Westwood and South African legend Ernie Els – went eagle-birdie after the turn.

But the 2014 Amateur Championship finalist’s rivals started heading in the wrong direction as he hit the front.

Overnight leader Oosthuizen – who was unsure if he would tee off on Thursday after suffering from kidney stones in the 24 hours before he was due to start – dropped shots on the 14^th and 15^th.

Oosthuizen, who had been in hospital seeking treatment on Wednesday, said: “I was fine starting. The last six holes got me a bit.

“The tee shot on 14 – I felt it in the right lower with the pain. I think the next two holes, I was thinking of that and didn’t really focus on what I had to do.

“Then on 16 again, I got my focus back and played nicely coming in. Pretty fatigued. Just need to rest for tomorrow.”

Meanwhile Detry double-bogeyed the 17^th after finding water from the tee and missing it with his third by the width of a post.

“It’s a tough course, anything can happen. Played some really good golf. On 17, it could have been a high number there.”

The Belgian, who is looking for his first European Tour victory in an event with a $2.5million winner’s prize, dropped another shot on the last.

“I limited the damage with a double-bogey and got a bit unlucky on 18,” said Detry.

“I hit a great drive, 300 metres down the middle. But it’s golf and just move on and see tomorrow.

“The putter seems to be working. Whole swing seems to be working as well,” added Detry, who has trod a similar path to Thomas Pieters after going to the same American University before turning pro.

Detry said: “Anything can happen on the weekend. A few guys are ahead of me, a few guys behind me. I think it’s going to be a fun battle.”

The 2017 Race to Dubai Champion Tommy Fleetwood and Swede Marcus Kinhult are in a share of fourth place at six-under par.

Fleetwood, who has not won since Abu Dhabi in January 2018, said: “It’s a tough golf course, and you’re always not that bad of a golf shot away from being stuck in trouble.

“You’ve just got to stay on it,” said the hero of Europe’s Ryder Cup win over the USA at Le Paris National in September 2018.

“Generally I feel like I can do well. I love this place. I love the week. I think it’s got a great atmosphere to it.

“I like teeing off on this golf course. I feel like there’s a lot of holes where you have to just make sure you free yourself up,” added Fleetwood.

Aaron Rai, from the West Midlands, Australian Jason Scrivener and Denmark’s Joachim B Hansen are a further shot back.

The current Race to Dubai leader – Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger – is among a group of seven players at four-under.

•For live scoring in the third round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, click here.

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The former World No. 1 fired a stunning final round of 64 at Gary Player Country Club last year to finish three strokes ahead of Ryder Cup teammate Sergio Garcia.

It was good enough to ensure his return to the winner’s circle for the first time since the 2014 Maybank Championship, in Malaysia.

Westwood talking at Sun City – where the tournament is again hosted by Gary Player – said: “I always look forward to coming back to Sun City.

“It’s a brilliant resort and great golf course. Always done well around here and it brings back good feelings,” said Westwood who has played in 10 Ryder Cups since his debut in 1997, and played in more matches for Europe than any other player in its history.

“It’s nice to be back defending a tournament,” Westwood added.

“It’s tough to win these Rolex Series events and I managed to win this one last year. I’m excited about playing well again.

“I played well in Turkey last week, and excited to get back on the golf course this week,” said Lee, who finished in a share of 10th in last week’s Turkish Airlines Open.

“I’ve won four times around here – three Nedbanks and a Dimension Data,” said the 46-year-old, who has 43 wins around the world since 1996.

“I know the course well. I know where they put the flags. I read these greens pretty well, as well.

“Distance control with the elevation changes and the extremes in temperature all come into that.

“I have a pretty good game plan for the course and I know how to handle the variations in conditions.”

The Nottinghamshire ace became the first European to win the title three times following his victories in 2010 and 2011.

He joined South African legend Ernie Els and Zimbabwean Major winner Nick Price with that treble.

Westwood will start the week in Sun City in the company of Race to Dubai rankings leader Bernd Wiesberger and Yorkshire’s Matt Fitzpatrick, who currently occupies fourth place on the season-long standings.

Austrian Wiesberger has a lead of 387 points over Spaniard Jon Rahm with just two events left to play.

Rahm, winner of the Irish Open, in June – the third Rolex win of his career – has not played in an European Tour event since the Spanish Open over a month ago, which he also won.P

Wiesberger, who already has three wins in 2019, including two Rolex Series – said: “There are so many points to be had over the last events again, and a lot of things can happen.

“I’m just looking to be prepared as good as I can,” said the winner of the Scottish and Italian Opens.

“It’s getting a little bit tighter with some of my game that hasn’t been there the last two weeks.”

Thirty-four-year-old Wiesberger added: “Just look at the course – looking really forward to this week again.

“I’m not looking too much into the ranking and just controlling what I can control.”

Also teeing it up at the Nedbank Golf Challenge this week is 2017 Race to Dubai winner Tommy Fleetwood, who made his last appearance at this event that same year.

Fleetwood said: “It’s really nice to be back. I missed last year, the way scheduling worked out.

“Coming back, played it a few years now, and got such a great atmosphere, such a big event, it always has been.

“It continues to get bigger, really, and in terms of how important it is to the season, everything – and, coming down to the final couple of events, it’s special.

“The game wasn’t there in China, so we had to work on it. But I’ve done some good work last week. I feel a lot better.

“I feel a lot happier with where my swing is and where my head is. You know, always when you’re pushing for result, you feel like you should be doing better and you can be doing better.

“It’s difficult when you can’t quite get out of it what you want,” said 28-year-old Fleetwood, whose last win came in Abu Dhabi, in January 2018.

Fleetwood is joined by South African legend Els, who won the Nedbank Golf Challenge in 1999, 2000 and 2002, before the event joined the European Tour’s schedule in 2013.

Els said: “I’m really pleased they gave they the invite. I was coming down to these parts already – I’m over 50 now, so I’m the oldest guy in the field. b

“I’ve had so many great memories around Sun City from fans and from the people I’ve met here, and obviously the golf course is very special to me,” said the winner of two Claret Jugs and two US Opens.

The winner of the Nedbank Golf Challenge will receive 1,665 points on the Race to Dubai – and a cheque for S$2.5million.

Players will then battle for the largest first prize in tournament golf – S$3million – at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, next week.

•For tee times at Sun City click here.

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PADRAIG Harrington returns to this week’s D+D Real Czech Masters hoping to go one better than his debut appearance in Prague 12 months ago.

The Irishman finished runner-up to Andrea Pavan after a thrilling final day battle.

The 2020 Ryder Cup Captain shared a three-stroke lead with the Italian going into Sunday last year at Albatross Golf Resort.

And it was Pavan who upset the odds by toppling the three-time Major winner courtesy of a blistering back-nine performance.

Harrington said: “I’ve been injured earlier this year with the broken wrist and I’m back playing for a few months now.

“But they tell me it’s going to be close to the end of the year before it’s fully healed in the sense that I won’t be thinking about it.

“It doesn’t seem to affect my golf swing. It affects me a little bit on some of the bunker shots and chip shots.

“I’m good to play though, it’s not getting in my head on the golf course.

“It was very tight last year, there was a great ebb and flow to that final round. It was exciting, the golf was good.

“It was low scoring so there were birdies as well. There was plenty of drama.

“I thought I had it, all the way up to the 69th hole where I missed a short putt, and then he holed a big putt on the 70th hole and had a two-shot lead with two holes to play.

“There weren’t enough holes for me to come back,” Harrington added.

Harrington’s last European Tour win came three years ago at the Portugal Masters – and he has struggled to build any consistency in the 2019 campaign following a wrist injury over the winter break.

So the winner of back-to-back Majors in 2008 will be hoping memories of his best performance of 2018 can provide a welcome confidence boost in Prague.

The 2007 and 2008 Open winner’s fellow multiple Major winner – Ernie Els – makes his debut this week, while former World No. 1 Lee Westwood returns for his fourth consecutive appearance at Albatross.

Westwood said: “I played well at Royal Portrush and then I’ve had three weeks off since then.

“I’ve been down to Portugal for a couple of weeks for a holiday with my fiancée and my family, and I’m looking forward to getting going again.

“It’s nice to be playing again after such a good performance at The Open.

“The way I approach tournaments now has changed. I take it less seriously but I still try my hardest.

“If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen, you can only try your best and that’s what I try and do each time I go to a tournament.

“The last thing I want to do is turn up at a tournament and not want to be there. I want to be keen to play at every tournament.

“I’m 46 now so it means I can’t play as many. I enjoy it a lot more,” Westwood added.

“It’s a good golf course. It’s pretty straightforward. The course has been designed well and shows you where you need to hit it, and then it’s up to the individual to execute it.

“There’s a lot of water out there, there’s a lot of risk and reward if you want to take it on. There’s a little bit of rough this year which will be better for me. It should set up well and I’m looking forward to it.”

Els revealed that like Harrington, he has also been battling injury.

The South African said: “I have had a lot of treatment on my back. It’s nothing too serious but serious enough that I couldn’t play an event recently.

“When the ball’s in the rough, it’s tough to follow through. I’ve had it before so we worked it out and it should be good.

“It’s a beautiful hotel here, and a beautiful city. There has been a lot of rain and so it will be very different from last year, but we will see as we go along.”

Defending champion Pavan can’t wait for play to get under way on Thursday morning.

Pavan, who added a second career win in Germany in the BMW International Open, earlier this summer, said: “It’s nice to be back.

“Last year was a very special week and I was looking forward to coming back here for a long time so finally to be here is great.

“Early on in the year I didn’t have a great start and then my game has been trending upwards.

“That win in Germany was very special, it got me into The Open, got me way up in the rankings and set up the rest of the year.

“The Open was a great experience, it was obviously a big week. I didn’t perform as well as I’d like but I felt good playing it, I felt like I was part of it, not just excited to be there.

“This week I’m here to try to defend and play as well as I can. I feel like I’m coming in with some form so hopefully I can do very well.”

Bernd Wiesberger, currently second in the Rolex Race to Dubai rankings, also plays – as does Frilford Heath’s Eddie Pepperell, who accepted a late invite and enters as the highest-ranked player in the field.

To follow live scores from Thursday to Sunday click here.

The post Harrington looking for first win in three years while Lee Westwood likes it in Prague appeared first on Golf North.

A three-under par 69 at Malaysia’s Saujana Country Club gave Belgium’s Thomas Pieters a one-shot lead at the Maybank Championship with two rounds to go. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

BELGIUM’S Thomas Pieters will take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the Maybank Championship after the golf course showed its teeth on Friday.

The big-hitting Belgian carded four birdies and a single bogey in his second round at Saujana Golf and Country Club to move to eight-under par.

Pieters said: “I struggled off the tee early on, at the end it was a lot better. It didn’t feel like a good day to me, I made the best of what I had.

“I gave myself a lot of chances but I couldn’t seem to get the ball in the hole.

“I birdied 16, the par three, it was a nice putt. But other than that I felt like I was missing putts all over.

“I tried not to over read the putt on 16. When you miss a couple of putts you try to read to much into it. I just put it down, looked once, and gave it a go.”

Apart from his struggle on the greens, the main talkling point of the week has been about Pieters unusual golf bag – which lacks a sponsor.

Pieters has turned it into an advertisement and revealed: “It was my idea.

“My brother has a creative company, but it was actually my idea. I thought, why not, it’s empty. I thought it was quite funny, and it got picked up this week. I think it was Jamie Gough that tweeted and a few people were talking about it.

“If Eddie Pepperell wants to put his face on it, I will happily take it.”

It had seemed Pieters and his fellow challengers might be fighting for second rather than top spot when overnight co-leader Nacho Elvira opened up a four-stroke lead over the chasing pack early in the afternoon.

But as the wind picked up, the Spaniard dropped three shots in two holes on the back nine to slip to seven-under, where he sits alongside Indonesia’s Danny Masrin in a tie for second place.

Nacho said: “I still feel like I’m playing solid. I struggled a bit on 14, I three-putted on 13. I had a really easy birdie chance then I three putted.

“Fourteen is a really tough hole, everybody knows it. The pin was tucked, I had a hard chip, anyway, double there and then three putted the next hole.

“Overall I’m happy. I’m hitting the ball fine, I’m putting myself in position to find the pins and I’m looking forward to the weekend.

“The tee shots feel like a dream. To be honest I’m picking up a little bit of confidence as the season goes on. I’m happy the way I’m hitting it right now.”

It’s a first appearance at this event – which is co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours – for four-time Major winner Ernie Els.

And after a second round 70 he sits at six-under alongside fellow South African Dean Burmester, American pair David Lipsky and Paul Peterson, Jazz Janewattananond, from Thailand, Germany’s Maximilian Kieffer and Australian Lucas Herbert.

Els said: “I think scoring conditions are a bit tougher than last year. I’ve never played here before but from what I’ve heard the guys usually make a lot of birdies.

“With the new greens the ball is releasing a bit and I kind of like that.  The last four years have been a real struggle, so I’m really happy that I’m playing good golf again.

“My body feels good and the ball striking is there now. On the greens I’m starting to feel really comfortable, so that means I can have a chance again to play with these guys.

“That’s what I want, to feel like I can have a chance playing Saturdays and Sundays and that’s kind of my goal.

“I’ve got to keep doing what I’m doing and eliminate the little mistakes.

“The one on 17 wasn’t very good. Got to try to get into the 60s and if you’re within three or four going into Sunday you’ve got a chance.

“Shubhankar showed that last year, coming out of the pack and winning.”

German Keiffer said: “I played really good today tee-to-green, hit a couple of wedges really close. I even had a few mid-range putts that just burned the edges, so really good.

“I played well here last year, played OK two years ago. You don’t need to be really straight off the tee but if you hit a wild one then it’s gone so that kind of suits me.

“The wind direction suits me better than last year because I can’t quite reach the par fives this year. The wedge game was very good today, so that was the key.

“I’m very happy with the way I’m playing. Since I started working with my new coach (Ian Holloway) last year, I’ve been steadily getting better.

“Just focus on the process, that’s all you can do, and it’s been working for me.”

•For live scoring in the third round of the Maybank Championship click here.

The post Pieters hopes to have Maybank Championship in the bag appeared first on Golf North.

Australia’s Marcus Fraser who shot a seven-under par 65 at Kuala Lumpur’s Saujana Golf and Country Club, to share the lead at the Maybank Championship with Spaniard Nacho Elvira. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

NACHO Elvira and former champion Marcus Fraser lead the way at the end of the first day of the Maybank Championship, following a remarkable morning of scoring at Kuala Lumpur’s Saujana Golf and County Club.

Australian Fraser, who won the first staging of the tournament in 2016 to seal his third European Tour title, and Spain’s four-time Challenge Tour winner Elvira, each carded eight birdies and a single bogey to get to seven-under par in Malaysia, on Thursday.

Fraser said: “I’ve been playing well having a hit at home but I haven’t played a whole lot of competitive golf.

“It was nice to go out and play well in a great tournament. It’s been a good day. I played steady all day and putted really well.

“The new greens here, well they’ve done a great job. Unfortunately, by no fault of their own, they were diseased and they lost them last year.

“Now they have rebuilt them and they are fantastic.  Unbelievable to be able to turn them around in 12 months.

“In the practice round the course was firm and bouncy and they have small undulating greens.

“With that combination you would think the scoring wouldn’t be as good. But it’s a great surface to putt on, not too much grain in the greens.”

Joint leader Elvira was pleased to fnally shoot a low number around Saujana. “To be honest seven-under is always good. With my record here not being too great, 65 is very good.

“It’s tough, it’s really humid. It’s not as hot in the morning but it’s really humid so it’s tough to stay hydrated.

“My caddie told me today that I hit 12 fairways. I have been hitting my irons good and putting great, I just needed to put the ball in play.

“I wasn’t able to do that the first few weeks (of the season) but I think I managed to do that in Qatar and also today.

“I’m happy the way things are going, happy to be turning around my golf game a little bit. We’ll see where that gets me.”

It had looked as though the early leaders efforts would be eclipsed when Angelo Que took full advantage of the newly-rebuilt greens at the Kuala Lumpur venue to make nine birdies and no bogeys in his opening 11 holes.

But the Filipino made back-to-back double bogeys at the 15th and 16th holes to fall from the top of the leaderboard.

Que finished his round with a birdie at the 18th to join Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and Austrian Matthias Schwab in a tie for third, a single shot behind the leaders on six under par.

Que said: “I thought I was dreaming when I got to nine-under after 11 holes. But these things happen especially when you play well.

“You try not to think too much and get ahead of yourself by ignoring it and keep playing. But it sorts of plays on your mind too.

“I got unlucky on 15 where I hit the fairway but didn’t have a shot at the green.

“I got an unlucky lie and didn’t make up and down. It was the same story on the next hole.

“These things happen but lucky I still managed to make 10 birdies today. So, six-under is always a good score. I started off with a birdie and ended off with a birdie. So that’s nice.”

Belgian Thomas Pieters is another stroke back after his opening round of 67, one ahead of eight players at four-under, including four-time Major Champion Ernie Els, and his fellow South Africans Dean Burmester and Brandon Stone.

There is then a group of 11 players at three-under, while European Ryder Cup Captain Padraig Harrington made a steady return to action after four months out with a wrist injury, shooting a first round 70 to sit alongside 14 other players at two under par.

Harrington, who is returning after a broken bone in his wrist delayed his start ot the season, said: “I actually really enjoyed my day. I wish I was like that every day.

“Four months off, I was buzzing out there, really enjoying the battle of getting it done. I struggled so badly off the tee, so it was an interesting contest for me.

“There is substantial difference between playing a practice round and playing with a card in your hand.

“I really struggled with my swing but I haven’t forgotten how to play golf. I managed my way around the golf course.

“I worked hard for the score. Overall 70 is a well worked score.”

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