Peter Whiteford and Alejandro Canizares lead Avantha Masters on the first day – Golf News
Scotland’s Peter Whiteford and Alejandro Canizares from Spain shared the lead after the first round of the Avantha Masters, at the DLF Golf & Country Club, finished on Thursday, February 16, 2012.
The Asian players looked greedy in the start of the round and surged to the top of the leaderboard early.
However, both the Europeans took the final bow on the fading light and clinched the lead with six-under par 66 opening round score.
Canizares, who made seven birdies against a lone bogey in his round, said that he wants to take home some happy memories, as he is making his first appearance in a tournament that is being held in India.
“I played very steady and I putted quite nicely. The only mistake I made was missing a short putt on the seventh so I made a bogey. But overall it was a nice round with not many mistakes,” said Canizares, a one-time European Tour winner.
Italy’s Federico Colombo shot a five-under par 67 to take the second spot. Himmat Rai was the leading Indian golfer who tied for fourth with five other players with a four-under par 68.
Another Indian, Jeev Milkha Singh, stood in an eight-way tie for the 10th, with three-under par 69.
His compatriot, SSP Chowrasia, who is also defending his title in the Avantha Masters, finished with a 71.
John Daly, the two-time major winner, was the main subject of the conversation on Thursday, as he scored a seven-over par 79 to end his round.
His worst shot of the day was a triple bogey on the par-5 14th and he left the course immediately after he completed his 18th hole.
“Messed it (elbow) up pretty bad---getting home to see a specialist asap,” he posted late on Twitter.
Another tweet followed: “No bones are broken, possible torn ligaments... Back 9 painful --hit a root coming down on #9 & snapped my elbow!”
Later in the evening, he announced that he has withdrawn from the tournament and will not play in the remaining rounds.
This is not the first time that Daly has left a tournament incomplete, as he did the same in last year’s Australian Open at the Royal Melbourne, when he shot seven balls in the water pond on the course.
Tags: