FIRED-UP ALLENBY MATCHES COURSE RECORD
Kuala Lumpur, October 28: Australian Robert Allenby set a blistering pace in the opening round of the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic at The MINES Resort & Golf club today when he matched the course record 8-under-par 63.
Teeing off in the morning, when the going was at its best, Allenby carded eight birdies in a bogey-free round that gave him a 1-stroke lead over Jhonattan Vegas and two better than Fredrik Jacobson of Sweden.
There was a three-way tie for fourth place as Cameron Tringale, Jimmy Walker and Bo Van Pelt all shot 5-under 66s on the par-71 Robert Trent Jones Jr. layout.
Malaysia’s two players in the 48-strong field, Danny Chia and Shaaban Hussin, emerged with mixed fortunes.
Chia finished at even-par 71, while Shaaban was 1-over for the round.
In all, there were 26 players with six strokes over the lead on a day that started in excellent conditions, endured a short rainy spell midway through the day, before finishing in nice sunny weather.
As fate would have, it rained rather heavier shortly after play was concluded.
Unsurprisingly pleased with his day’s work at The MINES, Allenby said: “I’m obviously very happy with the way I played. I made a lot of nice putts and hit the ball really well all day.
“I had just one wayward tee shot, at the last, but I made a good par save, so overall I’m really happy with my golf.
“I’ve been playing well for a while, but I just haven’t really put the scores on the board. I’ve been making a lot of birdies, but a few errors have been slipping in, so to have a bogey-free round and to shoot 8-under around here is a great score.”
The four-time PGA Tour winner added: “I like the course. It sets up really well for me. There are holes where you can drive the ball long and straight, but there are also a lot of holes where you have to have good iron play.
“My iron play was very solid today. I think more importantly is I made a lot of good putts, as well.”
Vegas, who came into the tournament full of confidence, having posted a victory in his rookie season and completed his round with four straight birdies from the 15th hole, said: “I had a really good round and I felt like I hit a lot of good putts as well. Hopefully we can keep that going for the next three days and lift the trophy on Sunday.”
Danny overcame early nerves to shoot an opening round even-par 71. The local hero got off to a fast start with a birdie on the third hole before wayward tee shots caused him a double and triple bogey over the next two holes.
Chia steadied ship with three further birdies to turn in 36 before adding two birdies against one bogey on his homeward nine to lie eight shots off the lead.
“To be honest I was a bit nervous in the beginning because I didn’t know what to expect. In fact I lost a bit of concentration in the first few holes but I played pretty well throughout the round,” said Chia, who is making his debut in the event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and PGA Tour.
Currently in tied 33rd position, the Malaysian said he would change his strategy and take a more cautious approach with his tee shots to give himself a chance of making a charge up the leader board in the next three days.
“If you hit the ball good on this golf course, you will have a lot of birdies. I might have a different strategy on the tee box because I was a little bit too aggressive with my tee shots,” said Chia, the first Malaysian to win on the Asian Tour in 2002.
“I would have been happier if I didn’t mess up on those two holes but on the positive side, we still have three more days to go and I’m hitting the ball very solid,” he added.
Shaaban, who qualified for the event after winning the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, Malaysia National Qualifier, was 3-over after the turn but salvaged his round with two birdies on holes 14 and 17 to lie in tied 41st place.
“I struggled in the beginning with my irons shots. I missed a lot of greens. Luckily my putting was good on the first nine or I would have been on five or six over after the first nine,” said Shaaban.
He added he was in awe with playing partner Jeff Overton, a member of the 2010 American Ryder Cup team.
“Jeff plays very simple golf. He just goes over to his ball and hits it. He has a very good style and it is something different for me. He is definitely a very good player.”