Kearney and McGrane start well in Asia
Asian Tour — Irish Professional champion Niall Kearney made a solid start to the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters Presented by Enjoy Jakarta Golf.
The Dubliner fired two bogeys and one birdie in a one over 73 that left him tied for 38th at Royale Jakarta Golf Club, seven shots behind co-leaders Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang and Dane Thomas Bjorn. Scores
They opened with six-under-par 66s in hot and humid conditions to lead by a stroke from Singapore-based Australian Unho Park (67) and India’s Abhijit Chadha.
Former world number one Lee Westwood of England returned with a 69 to share seventh place with six other players that also featured Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, India’s Rashid Khan and Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena.
European Tour — Former champion Damien McGrane scrambled brilliantly to be just four shots behind England’s David Howell Welshman Bradley Dredge and New Zealand’s Michael Hendry after the opening round of the Volvo China Open.
Winner of the title at Beijing CBD International in 2008, the Kells man got up and down for par eight times out of 10 as he made three birdies and three bogeys to share 25th at Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club in Shanghai.
Four under 658s leaving the leaders one clear of defending champion Alex Levy of France, his compatriot Julien Quesne and Australian Marcus Fraser with Michael Hoey tied 104th after a four over 76.
Round One Scores:
68 D Howell (Eng), M Hendry (Nzl), B Dredge (Wal)
69 M Fraser (Aus), A Levy (Fra), J Quesne (Fra)
70 O Wilson (Eng), J Carlsson (Swe), I Park (Kor), P Uihlein (USA), S Kapur (Ind), T Pieters (Bel), B Hebert (Fra), C Lee (Sco)
71 L Hao-Tong (Chn), M Korhonen (Fin), H Shao-Cai (Chn), S Hend (Aus), S Strange (Aus), J Lando Casanova (Fra), R Carter (USA), M Manassero (Ita), K Aphibarnrat (Tha), R Gibson (Aus)
72 B An (Kor), A Johnston (Eng), R Ramsay (Sco), T Fleetwood (Eng), S Jeffress (Aus), N Cullen (Aus), R Wattel (Fra), D Horsey (Eng), Z Jin (Chn), M Foster (Eng), P Meesawat (Tha), C Yi (Chn), T Pilkadaris (Aus), J Lee (Aus), K Broberg (Swe), Damien McGrane (Irl)
73 E Grillo (Arg), C Wood (Eng), W Ashun (Chn), R Fox (Nzl), R Cabrera-Bello (Esp), A Noren (Swe), M Ilonen (Fin), G Stal (Fra), A Cañizares (Esp), A Wall (Eng), P Lawrie (Sco), J Higginbottom (Aus), M Nixon (Eng), H Choi (Kor), M Kieffer (Ger), O Fisher (Eng), R Rock (Eng), J Morrison (Eng), R Green (Aus), M Carlsson (Swe), H Ryu (Kor), A Quiros (Esp)
74 M Ford (Eng), R Bland (Eng), R Paratore (Ita), J Edfors (Swe), L Chao (Chn), T Lee (Kor), G Flint (Aus), W Ormsby (Aus), S Hutsby (Eng), B Kim (Kor), R Jacquelin (Fra), E Espana (Fra), G Bourdy (Fra)
75 J Garcia Pinto (Esp), Z Xin-Jun (Chn), E Pepperell (Eng), D Jang (Kor), H Wen-Yi (Chn), P Larrazábal (Esp), T Fisher Jnr (RSA), W Weijun (Chn), M Brown (Nzl), T Hatton (Eng), C Xiao-Ma (Chn), S Kjeldsen (Den), S Hansen (Den), S Benson (Eng), G Storm (Eng), Y Bin (Chn), D Drysdale (Sco), Y Tian (Chn), D Fichardt (RSA), R Karlsson (Swe), T Khrongpha (Tha), J Van Zyl (RSA), L Bjerregaard (Den), M Griffin (Aus), J Cheng (Chn), G Tian-Lang (Chn)
76 M Lundberg (Swe), C Zi-Hao (Chn), R Finch (Eng), R Dillon (USA), M Crespi (Ita), L Xin-Yang (Chn), Michael Hoey (Nir), T Lewis (Eng), G Havret (Fra), S Chawrasia (Ind), M Tullo (Chi), S Kim (Kor), N Colsaerts (Bel), M Madsen (Den), R Fisher (Eng)
77 A Dodt (Aus), L Yan-Wei (Chn), Z Lianwei (Chn), S Dong (Chn), E Molinari (Ita), D Ze-Cheng (Chn), S Park (Kor), C Lee (Kor), O Zheng (Chn), B Proverbs (am) (Aus)
78 D Bransdon (Aus), D Brooks (Eng), J Campillo (Esp), P Hanson (Swe), C Doak (Sco), D Lipsky (USA), Z Guo-Wu (Chn), H Ze-Yu (Chn), N Fasth (Swe)
79 L Slattery (Eng), H Mu (Chn), G Mulroy (RSA), J Kruger (RSA), Z Chang-Lei (Chn), R Santos (Por), S Jamieson (Sco), S Dodd (Wal), W Wei-Huang (Chn)
80 F Aguilar (Chi), B Lein (USA), J Park (Kor)
82 Z Xiongyi (Chn), X Bowen (Chn), L Ting (am) (Tpe)
83 D Chen Xiao (Chn)
84 M Lampert (Ger)
85 L Xin (Chn)
86 S Nan-Nan (Chn), S Zihan (Chn)
88 J Palmer (Eng).