Westwood clicked off as McGrane leads

Golf - Ireland’s Damien McGrane took a one-shot lead at the Ballantine’s Championship on Thursday as clicking cameras distracted new world number one Lee Westwood during a frustrating first round.

By AFP

Published: Thu 28 Apr 2011, 8:27 PM

Last updated: Mon 11 Oct 2021, 7:32 PM

McGrane shot eight birdies on his way to a six-under-par 66 on a bright, cold day at the Blackstone Golf Club near Seoul, a stroke clear of Chile’s Felipe Aguilar, England’s Richard Finch and local star Park Sang-hyun.

Westwood was three under after 15 holes, but a bogey at the next and a double bogey at the last took him to par 72 for the round.

The Englishman, the first reigning number one to compete in golf-crazy South Korea, was followed by an excitable crowd on his round and was twice distracted by clicking cameras on the final three holes.

After struggling out of a fairway bunker on the last, the 38-year-old snapped at the packed gallery when a camera noise distracted him as he lined up a tricky bogey putt — which he missed.

But it was all smiles for McGrane, who said he was delighted with his putting on a day when many players struggled with the slow pace of the greens at the up-and-down mountain course.

“I holed everything inside 15 feet, so I made two bogeys which were out of nowhere really but that’s golf I suppose,” he said.

“I made plenty of birdies and I was very satisfied with that and I putted well today and I had good pace on my putts which is important to me.”

Westwood returned to the top of the rankings with victory at the Indonesia Masters on Sunday and insisted he was not out of the hunt at the Ballantine’s, despite ending the first round tied in 35th place.

“I played very nicely and gave myself a lot of chances without really making any putts,” he said.

“I hit a lot of good putts, but the greens are very different to what we putt on week in and week out. They are quite slow. You end up bashing them so it’s hard to get the ball rolling in the hole.”

Little-known Park was left to fly the flag for the home nation as 2009 US PGA Championship winner Y.E. Yang — the first Asian to triumph in a Major — carded six bogeys on his way to a four-over-par 76.

South Korean teen sensation Noh Seung-yul, who won the Asian Tour order of merit last year aged just 18, also had a day to forget, firing two double bogeys to end the day five over par on 77.

Joining him in the double-double club was Ian Poulter, who played the round with Ryder Cup teammates Westwood and Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain.

The Englishman finished on two over par and took to his Twitter page to bemoan the disastrous start he made to his round.

“A double bogey double bogey start was not what I was thinking. Long way to go can get in this for sure,” he wrote.