Ernie Els continued his fantastic early season form when an eight under par 64 gave the World Number Two the lead after the first round of the Johnnie Walker Classic at Lake Karrinyup Country Club in Perth.
A winner on the east coast of Australia two weeks ago in the Heineken Classic on The European Tour, Els showed similar form on the west coast, easing one stroke clear of England’s David Lynn and two ahead of Australia’s Terry Price, giving himself the perfect start in his quest for his fifth win in six outings.
Incredibly, it might have been even better than 64 for the man whose recent successes have included the Nedbank Challenge at the end of 2002, the Mercedes Championship and the Sony Open on the 2003 US PGA Tour, and the Heineken Classic.
The 33 year old South African shot from the blocks in idyllic windless conditions at Lake Karrinyup and was seven under par after his first seven holes thanks to five birdies and an eagle three at the 531 yard 15th hole.
A further birdie at the short par four first hole, his tenth of the day, moved Els to eight under par and the reigning Open Golf champion revealed it was at that point he began to think that even the magical figure of 59 might be on the cards.
However, bogeys at the second and fourth holes tempered that thought although the current Number One on the Volvo Order of Merit did atone for those mistakes with further birdies at the two par fives on the front nine, the third and seventh, to restore his eight under par mark, bringing him to an incredible 79 under par for his 17 tournament rounds this year.
“When I chipped to two feet and holed for birdie at my tenth hole I must admit I began to think some silly stuff then,” said Els. “It was just for a split second but then I came down to earth the hole later when I made bogey.
“But that is as good as I have played in my recent run of victories. I made one long putt on the 12th for birdie but the rest of them weren’t that long. I hit some really good shots and felt in the groove. Out of ten my front nine was a nine, and my back nine was a seven, so I’ll give myself eight out of ten in total for the round.”
Second placed David Lynn, who finished in a share of fourth place at the Heineken Classic, also continued the form which has seen him move just outside the top 20 on the Volvo Order of Merit, with a fine 65.
The 29 year old, who is returning to tournament golf after a ten week layoff during which time he bought a new house, showed the period of DIY activity had done his game little harm with seven birdies in total in his flawless effort.
"Myself and my brother really got stuck into the house and totally redecorated the place,” he said. “It was nice to get away from the golf for a while and do something completely different although I found it was a bit of a grind near the end. It is good to be back playing.”
Third placed Terry Price, who booked his place on The 2003 European Tour through the Qualifying School in northern Spain last November, took full advantage of his playing opportunity with an excellent 66.
Like Els, the 42 year old Australian started in supreme fashion with six birdies in his first seven holes. He lost his way a little around the turn, but recovered with further birdies in two of the last three holes to give himself the perfect start in his quest to beat his previous best performance on The European Tour, namely tied fifth in the 1995 Heineken Dutch Open.
Five players shared fourth spot after opening 67s, the Australian trio of Chris Downes, Peter O’Malley and Brett Rumford, Ireland’s Paul McGinley and Welshman Ian Woosnam, playing his first competitive round of golf since the WGC – The World Cup last December.
Apart from being rusty, Woosnam’s round was all the more creditable considering he was still suffering from the effects of bronchitis he picked up whilst holidaying in Barbados.
“I just can’t seem to shake it off,” he said. “You get a lot of hay fever here as well so that isn’t helping and I can feel it, you can feel it getting worse as you go round the course, I can feel it in my breath and my voice is starting to go a little bit.
“I am finished my course of antibiotics but I have still got my inhaler. I didn’t take it out with me today but I think I might tomorrow. I took an antihistamine today.”
Elsewhere, there was not such a spectacular start for defending champion Retief Goosen, who opened with a level par 72 while one of the pre-tournament favourites, Sergio Garcia, shrugged off his leg injury to play, but struggled to make an impact and finished with a two over par 74.
