"FAB FOUR" Storm to Top of Day One TCL Classic Leaderboard

"FAB FOUR" Storm to Top of Day One TCL Classic Leaderboard

March 19th,2005

Sanya, China, March 17: Headlining a strong day from the event European contingent, Paul Casey reeled off a sizzling eight-under-par 64 to share the opening-round lead with three others at the US$1 million TCL Classic at Yalong Bay Golf Club in Hainan, China.

The 27-year-old Englishman, starting on the 10th tee, reeled off four consecutive birdies from the 12th to 15th holes, with additional back-to-back birdies at the first and second holes and again at eight and nine.

That effort on this resort island in China south was matched late in the day by Swedish duo Johan Edfors, who survived a remarkable journey to Hainan to rocket up the leaderboard, and Fredrik Andersson Hed, along with Thailand Chawalit Plaphol.

A group of 10 players - Alejandro Quiroz (MEX), Gonzalo Fernandez (ESP), Paul McGinley (IRL), Paul Broadhurst (ENG), Choi Gwang-soo (KOR), Darren Griff (CAN), Corey Harris (USA), Steven O ara (SCO), Ariel Canete (ARG) and Ross Bain (SCO) - lurk just a shot back at an event joint-sanctioned between the European and Asian Tours.

Another 10 players are bunched an additional stroke back, with Thomas Bjorn, Terry Pilkadaris, a last-start winner at Yalong Bay at the 2004 Sanya Open, Lin Keng-chi and Frankie Minoza amongst the chasers. In total, 35 players returned rounds of five-under or better on day of superb scoring.

Casey, despite his apparent fireworks, felt his round was solid more than anything else. "I kept the ball in play nicely and made a couple of putts, but there was nothing special. I just played solid golf. The golf course is in such good condition, the greens are good and the rough is down, which all help a lot."

It was his affinity for the work of Yalong Bay course designer Robert Trent Jones Jr that Casey credited for his strong opening-day effort. "I am a member of a Trent Jones Jr course in England (The Wisley Golf Club), so this is a lot like what I play every day of the week when I am not out on Tour."

"He (Trent Jones Jr) plays a few tricks with the eye and can be quite deceptive, with bunkers short of greens and that sort of thing to deceive you. But I like that and I know his style. Having only played one practice round that helped a lot."

Despite the stellar nature of his opening day, when his limited schedule in 2005 due to a back injury is considered, Casey predicted low scores to come. "If you look at the rest of the scores, everybody is shooting low numbers. I just seem to be one better than everyone else right now, but by the end of the day that might not be the case."

Those words proved prophetic in the afternoon session, when three players joined him at the top of the leaderboard. That trio included an incredible effort from Edfors, one that saw him storm into contention after contesting last week Kenyan Open on the Challenge Tour.

At the time, the 29-year-old was a TCL Classic tournament reserve and flew to Amsterdam and on to his home in Gothenburg, Sweden. After finding out he had made the field in Sanya, he was home for barely 12 hours before flying to Stockholm to secure a China visa and then onto Hainan via Beijing.

That trek saw Edfors arrive in Sanya at 5 pm last night, with enough time only to walk a couple of holes on the front nine, while a chat with his room-mate, compatriot Peter Gustafsson, also helped.

"I am very tired and it has been a long couple of days," said Edfors, who recorded seven birdies and holed a 134-metre nine-iron for an eagle-two at the 10th on the way to his 64.

"However, Yalong Bay is a pretty straight course and I was happy to see that,"said Edfors. "The good thing is that on almost every hole you can see exactly what you need to do in front of you. I talked to Peter about some of the holes as well, so it was a lot of fun."

Edforsafternoon round of 64 was matched by compatriot Fredrik Andersson Hed and Chawalit Plaphol. Starting on the 10th, Chawalit rode three consecutive birdies to an opening nine of three-under 33, before scorching home to conclude a round that included nine birdies.

After missing the cut at the Qatar Masters last week, the Thai did not touch his clubs when he returned to Bangkok in a bid to rest some tightness in his left elbow. That obviously paid pidends, with his conservative game plan reaping great reward.

Said Chawalit: "I just wanted to keep the ball in the fairway and on the greens and was able to do that. I hit my driver well, hit my irons great and took just 26 putts. I have only been playing so-so lately, but knew that a great round was just around the corner."

Andersson, meanwhile, who works with the same coach as countryman Edfors, posted four birdies and a pair of back-nine eagles on his way to a share of the lead. Although lying at level par after seven holes, a birdie from just a foot at eight set him on his way.

"I was playing really well, but just was not able to hole anything. I made two good par saves in those first seven holes, but had five excellent birdies chances from no more than 12 feet. My caddie just told me to keep it going and eventually they will fall, which they did."

Among the big names tackling Yalong Bay Golf Club were Colin Montgomerie (T25), Michael Campbell (T36) and Ian Woosnam (T86). Zheng Wen-gen (T25), Liang Wen-chong (T36) and Zhang Lian-wei (T63) were the best placed local hopes, with Hu Mu (T86) the leader amongst the three national amateurs in the field.

ABOUT THE EVENT: The joint-sanctioned TCL Classic is the 12th event on the 2005 European Tour International Schedule and the seventh tournament for the Asian Tour this year. The US$1 million championship, title-sponsored by China leading communications and electronics firm, is being contested at Yalong Bay Golf Club, located on the Chinese island of Hainan.

For further information, contact Tan Kheng Im at the tournament media centre on +86-898 8856-6187 or tclclassic.sohu.com. Please note Sanya is on the same time zone as Hong Kong and Singapore and is eight hours ahead of London.