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Harrington closing in on Dixon
The Belfry, May 09: Padraig Harrington is one shot behind leader David Dixon after the first round of the B&H International Open at The Belfry.
The Belfry, May 09: Padraig Harrington is one shot behind leader David Dixon after the first round of the B&H International Open at The Belfry.
The Irishman shot a 67 to put the pressure on European Tour rookie Dixon, whose round included an incredible two eagles. Defending champion Angel Cabrera is one shot behind Harrington.
Harrington also managed an eagle of his own at the par-five third, holing a sand wedge from 91 yards. But his performance could not compete with Dixon's, who carved up the course with little fuss. The leading amateur at the Open Championship at Lytham two years ago, Dixon leads a star-studded field which includes 10 of Europe's 2002 Ryder Cup team. Still to record a top-10 finish on the circuit, Dixon began on the inward half and, after a birdie at the 384-yard 13th, he eagled the 545-yard 15th to reach the turn in 33. Despite a number of bogeys on the closing nine holes, he hit a superb seven-iron to 18 inches from the hole to grab a last-gasp birdie.
"I'm delighted with that. Mentally I feel the best I've felt on a course - very positive. Everything clicked," said Dixon. "It's a great course - it's tough and stray shots are going to be punished.
"I just kept pulling out the driver and it was coming off for me!"
Another surprise was the sight of former Ryder Cup players David Gilford and Costantino Rocca on the leaderboard. Gilford, who represented Europe in 1991 and 1995, carded a three-under par 69, while Rocca's 71 put the Italian on one-under par.
It was a frustrating day for Colin Montgomerie, the star of Europe's team at the same venue just seven months ago. He could do no better than level par for the day, a score he shares with English pair Lee Westwood and Justin Rose.
But it was a disastrous morning for most of the big names in the field. Nick Faldo finished at four over, Darren Clarke at five and Sam Torrance 10 over on a course where he has so many great memories. The veteran Scot sank the winning putt on The Belfry's 18th in the 1985 Ryder Cup and captained the European team to victory there last September.
Bureau Report
The Irishman shot a 67 to put the pressure on European Tour rookie Dixon, whose round included an incredible two eagles. Defending champion Angel Cabrera is one shot behind Harrington.
Harrington also managed an eagle of his own at the par-five third, holing a sand wedge from 91 yards. But his performance could not compete with Dixon's, who carved up the course with little fuss. The leading amateur at the Open Championship at Lytham two years ago, Dixon leads a star-studded field which includes 10 of Europe's 2002 Ryder Cup team. Still to record a top-10 finish on the circuit, Dixon began on the inward half and, after a birdie at the 384-yard 13th, he eagled the 545-yard 15th to reach the turn in 33. Despite a number of bogeys on the closing nine holes, he hit a superb seven-iron to 18 inches from the hole to grab a last-gasp birdie.
"I'm delighted with that. Mentally I feel the best I've felt on a course - very positive. Everything clicked," said Dixon. "It's a great course - it's tough and stray shots are going to be punished.
"I just kept pulling out the driver and it was coming off for me!"
Another surprise was the sight of former Ryder Cup players David Gilford and Costantino Rocca on the leaderboard. Gilford, who represented Europe in 1991 and 1995, carded a three-under par 69, while Rocca's 71 put the Italian on one-under par.
It was a frustrating day for Colin Montgomerie, the star of Europe's team at the same venue just seven months ago. He could do no better than level par for the day, a score he shares with English pair Lee Westwood and Justin Rose.
But it was a disastrous morning for most of the big names in the field. Nick Faldo finished at four over, Darren Clarke at five and Sam Torrance 10 over on a course where he has so many great memories. The veteran Scot sank the winning putt on The Belfry's 18th in the 1985 Ryder Cup and captained the European team to victory there last September.
Bureau Report