KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Westwood fired eight birdies to surge to the first-round lead of the Malaysian Open on Thursday with a seven-under par 65, staying sharp after a solid performance at last week’s Masters.

Big-hitting Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium was just a stroke back on 66 after matching the Englishman’s birdie count but falling short due to a pair of bogeys on day one at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

Westwood, who managed a seventh-place finish at the Masters on Sunday, stumbled out of the blocks in Malaysia with a bogey on his first hole of the day.

But he kept a clean card the rest of the way by sinking some long putts and ending the day with three straight birdies.

Michael Hoey of Northern Ireland and Ricardo Santos of Portugal were two shots back of Westwood at the $2.75 million event, jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

Former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa had a steady round but ended the day seven shots back on even-par 72, with his two birdies canceled out by a pair of bogeys.

Most golfers completed the round, but a rain delay of about an hour meant that a number were still on the course with several holes to go when play was called due to fading light. They will finish their first rounds early Friday.

Defending champion Kiradech Aphibarnrat got out to an even slower start than Westwood, with a bogey and double bogey on the front nine.

But the burly young Thai, last year’s Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, clawed his way back to a one-under 71 thanks to three birdies in the last six holes.

Kiradech said the weather delay gave him a chance to settle down and smooth out his tempo.

His compatriot Thongchai Jaidee also struggled early with three bogeys on his first six holes. But the tournament’s two-time champion righted the ship with six birdies the rest of the way to close at even-par 72 and keep Westwood in

Pak shares lead

Kapolei, United States: Hall-of-Famer Pak Se-Ri and fellow South Koreans Ryu So-Yeon and Kim Hyo-Joo shared the lead on Wednesday after a windy first round of the LPGA Lotte Championship.

The Korean trio all carded four-under par 68s at Ko Olina Golf Club, where steady winds of about 15 miles per hour (24.14 Km) were punctuated by gusts of more than 30 mph (48.28 Km/h).

The top trio were one stroke in front of Japan’s Ayako Uehara, whose 69 put her one shot in front of a group of five players sharing fifth place that included world number one Park In-Bee.

Park was joined on two-under 70 by Hawaiian home favorite Michelle Wie, LPGA tour rookie Amy Anderson and South Koreans Jang Ha-Na and Lee So-Young, who are both playing on a sponsor’s exemption.

Ryu was the first in the clubhouse on 68, after a round that included five birdies and a bogey on the par-three eighth.

She said the strong winds made reading some putts tough, but the 2011 US Women’s Open champion said her iron play was surprisingly crisp, giving her some short birdie chances.

Pak had an eagle on the par-five fifth hole, three birdies and a bogey.

She said a returned to a cross-hand grip on her putter had improved her consistency. Pak, a 25-time winner on the LPGA Tour, said her father recommended the switch back to the grip she used when she was starting out in 1998.

Kim, 18, played 17 holes with five birdies and no bogeys, but dropped to four-under with a three-putt bogey at her final hole, the par-four ninth.

World No.1 Park got off to a blazing start with birdies at four of her first six holes. But as the wind picked up she struggled with club selection on the back nine.