| Els leads with 63 in Germany | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 28 2013, 12:58 AM (118 Views) | |
| estelle | Jun 28 2013, 12:58 AM Post #1 |
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Ernie Els was on fire at the BMW International Open on Thursday, shooting a nine-under-par 63 to grab the first-round lead. Els' bogey-free round, featuring seven birdies and an eagle, helped him to a one-shot lead in Munich, and is further proof that the South African is enjoying a rich vein of form after his tied sixth at Wentworth and tied fourth in the US Open Championship in his last two starts. Els was relieved to be playing 712 AP2 Irons in more receptive conditions after the challenge of facing Merion last week. "It's really nice, and just a pleasure to play; not to go through a torture chamber like we did at the US Open, it's a nice start," said the four-time major champ. Els carded five birdies in an outward 31 after starting at the tenth, then added a 40-foot birdie at the short second before producing a superb eagle at the par-five sixth. After seeing his drive end up in the rough cut of the fairway, he fired his 250-yard approach shot to within five feet of the hole and holed the subsequent putt. Another eagle opportunity at the ninth would have given him a course record 62, but he had to settle for a birdie and a 63. "It seems like it's really a day of scoring today," Els said. "If you shoot a really low one, it's nice. It takes the pressure off the rest of the tournament a little bit. "Although you're leading, it doesn't really mean much until Sunday, but if you get into the race, so to speak, early on in the tournament, it's nice to be right in the hunt. "Guys will be shooting low this afternoon and tomorrow morning; so I probably won't be in the lead by the time I tee off. But it's nice to have got a good round under my belt and can start kind of going for Sunday. "I've really been working hard at my game. Especially obviously going into the US Open and really around the PGA at Wentworth, I could feel things were coming around a bit. I had a bit of an iffy year up to now, but I really feel that my swing feels good and my body feels good, touch wood. So I can swing the Mizuno JPX 800 Irons, properly." Local star Martin Kaymer is only shot back after a 64, tied with Matthew Baldwin, Robert-Jan Derksen and Alexander Noren. It was a welcome return to form for Kaymer, who has struggled in recent months. "In general, the last few months, I haven't had a low round at all, so obviously it's a little bit of a different golf course that we play discount ping golf clubs this week, so there are lots of chances," said former US PGA Champion Kaymer. "It's a nice start. The expectations were very high, I put a lot of pressure on myself and obviously it's the only tournament we play in Germany, so very pleased - I'm very happy. "I just want to put myself in position. It's not so much about really trying to win. I try to put myself in position on Sunday, and then we will see and I think I will have an advantage with the people here and very good support. I had fun today and I had a good group, too, to play with." Matthew Nixon, Tom Lewis and Alexander Levy are all two shots back after opening 65s. |
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12:15 AM Jul 11