Thursday, October 22, 2009

Garcia leads as Cabrera ruled out

FIRST ROUND LEADERBOARD
-8 S Garcia (Spa) -7 M Jonzon (Swe), R Allenby (Aus, after 11 holes) -6 E Canonica (Ita), JM Olazabal (Spa) -4 R Echenique (Arg), D Horsey (Eng), P Martin (Spa), M Tunnicliff (Eng), M Kaymer (Ger, after 12 holes), J Rose (Eng, after 11 holes)
Selected others: -3 D Clarke (NI) -1 C Montgomerie (Sco) Level P McGinley (Ire, after 9 holes)

Sergio Garcia
Garcia has slipped from second to 10th in the world this year

Sergio Garcia took the lead on the wind-affected first day of his home Castello Masters with one of his main rivals already out of the event.

Garcia, the defending champion, shot 63, but Masters winner Angel Cabrera missed his start time despite dashing back from America and was disqualified.

Cabrera had been playing in the Grand Slam for the year's four major winners and was delayed by flight problems.

Round one was unfinished after a three-hour delay because of strong winds.

Garcia was on the 17th hole of his eight-under round when play was suspended at lunchtime.

Cabrera's playing partners Martin Kaymer and Gonzalo Fernando-Castano had just teed off, however, meaning the Argentine had to be disqualified. He would have made it if play had been delayed 15 minutes earlier.

We get a wind like that only three or four days a year - and usually on those days we chill at home

Sergio Garcia

Cabrera had been due to arrive in Spain at around 0530 local time after finishing second in the Grand Slam in Bermuda behind US Open champion Lucas Glover, but the flight was delayed.

A helicopter was laid on at Valencia airport and a landing arranged at a football pitch near the Mediterraneo course but Cabrera did not make it.

"I did my best and I never once thought about not coming," he said after arriving an hour after his scheduled start.

"My son is playing so I wanted to be playing too. And it's such a pity that I missed my chance by about 10 or 15 minutes in the end."

Cabrera's son Federico was one over after 13 holes.

Garcia, who is without a top-three finish this year and down from second to 10th in the world, covered the back nine first in a six-under 29.

606: DEBATE
Be_The_Ball

He then holed a seven-footer on the first, chipped to within three feet of the flag at the long fourth and birdied the 553-yard eighth when play resumed.

Garcia's only bogey came at the ninth - his last - and he said: "You never like to finish like that, but other than that it was pretty solid and I made some nice putts.

"We get a wind like that only three or four days a year - and usually on those days we chill at home."

European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie reached four under, but then had three bogeys in four holes.

He was then told by an official that conditions were too bad to continue and he replied: "That's great. The later starters can walk off and we've just played in it. That's OK, is it?"

On his return the Scot made par for a one-under 70.

The second half of the field had no hope of completing their rounds before night fell, leaving Garcia with a one-stroke lead over Swede Michael Jonzon (64) and Australia's Robert Allenby, who had played 11 holes before play was called off for the day.

Jose Maria Olazabal, partnering Garcia, finished strongly for a 65, the same score as Emanuele Canonica, the Italian who caddied for him at the Masters in April.

Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy, who are first and second respectively in the Race to Dubai standings, are not playing this week.

Third-placed Martin Kaymer of Germany reached four under after 12 at the end of day one.

о 7:01 AM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)