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Casey takes chance to put Els in the shade

GOLF: Paul Casey of England overshadowed world number two Ernie Els to card a seven-under-par 65 for a one-stroke lead after…

Fri Jan 31 2003 - 00:00

GOLF: Paul Casey of England overshadowed world number two Ernie Els to card a seven-under-par 65 for a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Heineken Classic in Melbourne yesterday.

Spain's Santiago Luna (40), ran hot through the outward nine with a six-under-par 30 but was square with the card on the inward nine to finish outright second on six-under par 66.

British pair Warren Bennett and Gary Evans and Australians Peter Lonard and Peter Fowler finished a further shot behind after shooting five-under-par 67s.

Tournament favourite and defending champion, South Africa's Els, carded a two-under-par 70 with five birdies and three bogeys and was equal 23rd. Els is enjoying an amazing start to the year, winning his first two tournaments in the US and finishing second last week in Singapore after blowing a one-stroke lead on the 72nd hole. He also won his final event of 2002, the Sun City Challenge. Australia's former world number one Greg Norman shot a one-over-par 73 while six-time major winner, Briton Nick Faldo, had a 69.

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Casey (25), a former Scottish PGA Championship winner, carded eight birdies and one bogey and said he could not recall leading a professional tournament after the first round.

"I saw all of Melbourne's lovely weather today," the Englishman told reporters. "It was a very good round of golf considering the elements and the break in between. I only made one mistake out there (a bogey at the 16th) so I was very happy with the way it turned out."

Casey was playing his second hole, the 11th, when play in the European Tour and Australasian Tour event was halted for 90 minutes after heavy rainfall.

Just a day earlier, smoke from bushfires in the north of Victoria had blown across the city as Melburnians faced temperatures in the mid-30s.

"I marked my ball about a foot from the hole and ran for shelter. I didn't know if the delay was for rain or lightning," Casey said. "My playing partners just looked at me. To be honest the amount of rain we got softened up the greens nicely."

"I don't know how they had it in the morning but I thought I got a pretty good draw out of it. If we'd kept playing through the weather it may have been a different story."

A professional since 2000, Casey won the English Amateur and PAC-10 Championship in the US in 1999 and 2000. In 2000 he broke the PAC-10 scoring record held by Tiger Woods of 18-under-par with a 23-under-par 265. He also won the PAC-10 Championship in 1998.