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Big ace for Big John Daly, Green match 63s for BMW Invitational lead
Updated: Thursday August 30, 2001 1:41 PM
MUNICH (Reuters) -- Australian left-hander Richard Green has already beaten one double-major champion to win a European Tour title and on Thursday he was level with another to share the first-round lead in the BMW International Open. Green's 9-under-par 63 matched American John Daly's score earlier in the day as the pair failed by just one shot to equal the Nord Eichenried course record. They lie one stroke ahead of Ryder Cup points chasing Scot Dean Robertson and two better than Thomas Bjorn and Soren Kjeldsen, both of Denmark. Bjorn has already secured his place on the European Ryder Cup team that will face the United States at The Belfry next month. Australian Green was back to his form of four years ago when he beat Greg Norman, winner of two British Opens, and Ian Woosnam, a former U.S. Masters champion, in a playoff for the Dubai Desert Classic. After improving on his career-best score by a stroke, he will now bid to go one better than his tie for second at the rain-affected BMW International Open of 1996, which was decided after just 36 holes. On Thursday, the Melbourne player produced a remarkable putting display, needing only 10 putts on his outward nine. His 2-iron to just 4 feet for an eagle four holes from home had him contemplating records but the birdies then dried up. "I think I tried a bit too hard after I'd topped my round with the 4-footer," said Green. "It was obviously a great putting day but I also hit the ball well. I went back to my trusty old driver after trying a couple of different ones out. "I'm definitely getting back to the level I was in Dubai and it would be nice to play like that for four days. "But I'm more experienced now and I know there are three more days still to go. It's nice being up alongside John Daly, though." Daly, who won the PGA title in 1991 and the British Open in 1995, hit form earlier as he fired his day with a hole-in-one at the short 12th, his third hole, to produce his joint-best career score. "I haven't shot 9-under for a long, long time -- maybe since Vegas '92 or '93," Daly said. "And I didn't rip a drive really, except for the ninth, just three-quarter soft cuts. In fact, I've not had to rip a drive on any course this year. Although neither of the two first-round leaders has any Ryder Cup interest, Robertson definitely does. The Scot lies 23rd in the European Ryder Cup table, and is the final player of 13 who can overtake Phillip Price in the 10th and last automatic slot on the European rankings if he picks up the 300,000 points available to the winner in Munich this week. Robertson has steadfastly refused to look closely at the table, however, and was genuinely surprised to hear he could still make the team. "I've not looked at the table for the last month because I've not been accumulating points," said the 1999 Italian Open winner, after excelling with the putter in his round of 64, which equalled his career-best under-par return. "Anyway, I think looking at the rankings all the time, especially before coming here, has more of a negative influence than positive because you can sidetrack yourself from what you should be focusing on, the shots you need to make. "I've never really paid much attention to it because everything you achieve is a by-product of playing good golf." Price's hold on 10th spot looked tenuous after a double-bogey on Thursday until the Briton found three birdies in the last six holes. This included one at the last for a round of 71 to keep alive his hopes of making the cut to leave him less vulnerable from attack.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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