World No. 7 Casey, who won the Volvo Golf Champions event on the European Tour this season, held a two-stroke lead over fellow-Briton Martin Laird, red-hot Nick Watney and his unheralded compatriots Garrett Willis and Scott Stallings.

Casey, starting at the 10th hole, registered seven birdies without a bogey, capping his stellar card with back-to-back birdies from the seventh at the challenging Copperhead course.

“Today was lovely. Bogey-free is always nice,” Casey told reporters after taking advantage of ideal conditions. “It was very benign out there.

“Best ball-striking round of the year. This was fun today,” added Casey, who wore a bright green shirt for St. Patrick’s Day and said precision iron play was the key to his success.

Watney, who won last week’s WGC-Cadillac Championship and has finished in the top-10 in each of his five tournaments this year, also got to 7-under with a string of three birdies after making the turn but two late bogeys dropped him to 66.

“I started off great and kind of ran out of steam there at the end,” explained Watney, who continued his hot hand with the putter in a round delayed for 70 minutes due to morning fog.

“I putted great last week and the ball, it’s just kind of taking off where I’m looking right now which is a really good feeling. Luckily a lot of the putts fell in.”

Willis, ranked 277th, had four birdies in a row from the second hole, his 11th hole of the day, to vault into contention. Scotsman Laird posted a bogey-free round, and 25-year-old Stallings had five birdies after making his turn.

Bunched at 67, three shots off the pace, was a group of 10 that included defending champion Jim Furyk, South African Rory Sabbatini and Australians Stuart Appleby and John Senden, who called a one-stroke penalty on himself at the par-5 fifth after his ball moved just before he struck his second shot.

Fifteen players were tied another shot back including world No. 1 Martin Kaymer of Germany, Fiji’s Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia of Spain and 17-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero.

Kaymer said defending his No. 1 status spurred him on.

“Of course I’m thinking about it,” US PGA champion Kaymer said. “It’s a lot of motivation if you know that you are the best player in the world. So of course I really enjoy that.”
 
 
Wall’s 67 sets pace

In Sicily, Italy, a bogey free 67 gave Anthony Wall a two shot clubhouse lead during the second round of the Sicilian Open at Donnfugata Golf Resort & SPA.

The Englishman, whose only European Tour victory came 11 years ago, had two birdies on the front nine and an eagle at the par five 12th to lead Australian Richard Green and France’s Raphaël Jacquelin on 9-under par.

“I have played great for the last two days so they have been relatively easy,” said Wall.

“This is a tough golf course and I have played really well again today. I haven’t really had a tough par putt for the last two days and that tells you how well I have been playing. If I can stay strong mentally then I should have a good chance to win here.”

Left-hander Green — at 64th the highest ranked player in the field this week — had six birdies in his 67 but a double bogey at the 10th denied him a share of the lead.

Jacquelin played 32 holes without dropping a shot, but when he did he lost two with a double bogey at the sixth. However, he closed with two birdies in his last three holes to remain well in contention.

Overnight joint-leader Stephen Dodd was still six under after six holes, but Spain’s José Manuel Lara, who held a share of top spot after round one, dropped back with a 75.

Former Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie remained in the hunt for a first top-10 finish for almost three years as the Scot compiled a bogey-free 69.