Indian stalwart Gaurav Ghei grabbed the first-round lead after a
solid seven-under-par 65 with American star John Daly lurking two
strokes back at the Pine Valley Beijing Open yesterday.
Ghei, a two-time winner in Asia, took advantage of calm early
conditions and enjoyed a steady round including an eagle on the
par-five second at the Pine Valley Golf Resort and Country
Club.
Thai rookie Panuwat Muenlek was a stroke back in second while
Daly, a double major winner, was in lone third place after a 67 in
the $500,000 event.
Australia's Adam Le Vesconte fired a 68 in tied fourth spot
alongside South African Hendrik Buhrmann and England's Ben St.
John.
Ghei, who ended an 11-year drought with victory at the Taiwan
Masters last year, added seven birdies to his eagle and just two
bogeys.
"It is good to always think back on your win and if I can keep
this up, it would be nice to be among the leaders in the final
round. But this is still the early stages and anything can happen,"
said the 38-year-old Indian.
"It definitely is a course which suits the long hitters because
the fairways are generous and we have guys like John Daly who is a
major winner in the field, is it going to be a tough week to beat
these guys."
Daly, who missed the cut at last week's BMW Asian Open in
Shanghai, delivered a determined run with six birdies against a
lone dropped shot.
Wu Kang-chun was the highest ranked Chinese player in joint
seventh position when he carded a 69 together with Singapore's
Mardan Mamat, who celebrated his 200th appearance on the Asian Tour
this week.
(China Daily via AFP April 27, 2007)
