By David Ferguson
Round one of the Volvo China Open at the CBD Club in Beijing ended with Austria's Markus Brier in a one-stroke lead at 67, five under par. Brier was one of those who were fortunate to take advantage of good conditions early on, and it was a terrific performance on a day when only 21 of 156 starters finished under par.
"It was a really nice day," he said. "There was no wind, it was nice and warm, and I made a really nice start for the first few holes, hitting a lot of fairways and making birdie chances. I hit some great iron shots and the putter was really hot as well, which is a great combination."
Brier's score would have been one better if it had not been for a bogey on the last, which he three-putted for a 6. That was a score that either of his playing partners would happily have signed for – Thongchai Jaidee four-putted for 7, and the unfortunate Wi-joong Kim five-putted for an eight! That made a total of twelve putts between the three players – two of whom nevertheless finished in the top five for the round. I would dearly have loved to have been there for what must have resembled a Sunday scramble between three inebriated hackers on a municipal course in Scotland.
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The Liang / McGraine / Montgomerie group was followed by a substantial gallery throughout the round.
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"I managed to three-putt from 13 meters," sad Brier. "The other guys in the group had a four and a five-putt. They missed twice from two feet. I don't know what happened. We all had a look around the hole afterwards and it didn't look too slopey, so I really don't know how to explain it."
Lying second are England's Nick Dougherty and Australia's David McKenzie, both on four-under. Highlight of McKenzie's round was an eagle 2 on the 370-yard par four fifth.
"It was 102 yards – flew straight into the cup," he said. "Took a little bit of the side of it but pretty much straight in. I saw it all the way down – it hit the flag and went right in, so that was just perfect."
The organizers served up a tasty three-course treat in group 30, with the most successful golfer in the tournament, Colin Montgomerie of Scotland, China's best and most successful player, Liang Wenchong, and the current title holder, Ireland's Damien McGraine.
The downside of this was that the only sizable gallery of the day accompanied this group. Many will have turned out to support their local hero, and will have been a little puzzled by the temperamental Scot, who must have a hard time coping with the vagaries of Chinese golf-watchers whose enthusiasm is not always matched by their understanding of competition etiquette for spectators.
