MELBOURNE, 10 December 2004 — Champion Robert Allenby fired a six-under-par 66 to take the clubhouse lead in the Australian Masters yesterday before thunderstorms caused an early end to the opening day’s play.
Twice Australian Masters winner Bradley Hughes had carded a score of seven-under-par in 11 holes before play was suspended in the afternoon at the Huntingdale golf course.
Officials announced at 1730 local time (0630 GMT) that no further play would be possible and players would resume their opening rounds today.
Three-time Australian Masters champion Craig Parry, fellow New South Welshman Richard Ball and Queenslander Brad Kennedy were a stroke adrift of Allenby and safely in the clubhouse on five-under-par 67.
Greg Chalmers was also on five-under-par after 13 holes.
Despite leaving his favorite putter at his Florida home by mistake, the 33-year-old Allenby recovered from a double-bogey seven on the par-five seventh hole to card 10 birdies including four in succession from the 10th to 13th holes.
“From 11 all the way home, my putting was awesome. The last eight holes were as good as I can putt. Every putt either went in the middle or lipped-out,” Melbourne-born Allenby told reporters. Allenby found himself without a putter in Sydney last month and bought a Titleist, which he used again yesterday.
“I left it (putter) in America. Don’t ask me why because I’m stupid. I was in a hurry to get out of the house and I forgot to grab it,” he said. Australia’s world No. 11, Adam Scott, was one-over-par after 11 holes and Scott’s playing partner, world No. 13 Stuart Appleby, was one-under-par. Sydney’s Peter Lonard, a winner of the Australian Open and Australian PGA in the past two weeks, had a 68, two strokes behind Allenby.
He was joined by Todd Morgan, Americans Ricky Barnes and Corey Pavin, and Jason Day, a 17-year-old amateur from Queensland state.
Victorian golfer Andrew Webster, two-over-par after 15 holes, was disqualified after playing a shot after hearing the siren to signal a halt in play.
Unheralded Zimbabwean Leads Els in Dunhill Championship
In Malelane, South Africa, Eight birdies helped unheralded Zimbabwean Bruce McDonald grab the first round lead with a six-under-par 66 in the 500,000 pounds (723,490 euro, $958,945) Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club yesterday.
The 23-year-old is playing in his first event on the European Tour and only managed to get a spot in the field through a special invitation.
He leads by a stroke from world No. 3 Ernie Els of South Africa who produced a bogey-free 67 on an unusually cool day in the country’s lowveld.
Two Frenchmen, 31-year-old Challenge Tour regular Benoit Teilleria and 29-year-old Raphael Eyraud, who won the French Amateur in 1995 but has done little of note since turning professional soon afterward, were bracketed in joint third on 68 alongside England’s Neil Cheetham and James Kamte of South Africa.
A rookie on the satellite Hooter’s there this year, he won the Langdale Ford Open in South Carolina toward the end of the season.
“It was pretty amazing out there today when I saw my name at the top of the leaderboard with Ernie Els actually one stroke back of me,” McDonald said.
