Rhys Davies fired seven birdies at Kuala Lumpur Country Club today, completing his round to tie for the lead at the first round of the Maybank Malaysian Open before play was suspended for the day.
The Welshman hit five of those birdies on the front nine on a flawless round to share the lead with Spain's Ignacio Garrido. A Ryder Cup winner in 1997, Garrido eagled the 3rd here, but thanks to a bogey on the 7th he finished on level terms with Challenge Tour graduate Davies.
Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee found himself just a stroke behind the leaders with his six birdies and an eagle on the 5th, though he finished disappointingly with a couple of bogeys on the 7th and 9th keeping the Asian No. 1 from the top spot (Jaidee had started play on the 10th).
Of the better-known European names, Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke struggled to impress, finishing the 18 holes one-over par to tie for 71st place. Last year's winner Anthony Kang was similarly disappointing, the American finishing on the same score, although with some players yet to finish each man could lose further ground.
But while play is incomplete, some players only having completed 13 holes, it seems unlikely there will be any major shifts in the top placings of the leaderboard when play eventually resumes. Thailand's Chinnarat Phadungsil is currently the highest-placed of those still to finish, and he's currently three-under, tied for 16th place with two holes left to play.
England's Chris Wood managed to complete the entire 18 holes but the 2009 rookie of the year is unlikely to have been satisfied with today's outcome; Wood shot three-over to tie for 105th place with another promising young English player, Sam Hutsby.
Hutsby had only got as far as the 13th when play was suspended, so perhaps he can improve his final standing before the second round begins.
If the field seems thin on European quality, it's because many of the top Euro players are otherwise engaged in Florida this week. Amongst the players contesting the Honda Classic starting later today are Lee Westwood, Paul Casey, Rory McIlroy and Padraig Harrington.
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