Belgium’s Thomas Pieters and Richard T. Lee from Canada had low expectations at the start of this week’s International Series England but that all changed today when they both shot standout seven-under-par 64s to take the first-round lead.
They are ahead of England’s Richard Bland, Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang, Atiruj Winaicharoenchai from Thailand and Korea’s Seungtaek Lee, who fired 66s here on the Longcross course at Foxhills Club & Resort, in Surrey.
Pieters, who plays for RangeGoats GC on the LIV Golf League, is still searching for the kind of form that saw him triumph on six occasions on the DP World Tour, but it looks like he is not far away after setting the pace with a round made up of an eagle and five birdies, the same as Lee.
“Drove it well and putted really nicely,” said Pieters, whose best finish this year on LIV was joint fifth in Singapore.
“The course kind of suits me; it’s similar to the Belgium Open course where I practice. It’s tight and narrow but if you do hit a lot of drivers you can get close to loads of par fours. You make this course easy when you hit it straight.”
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
He was four under through five, after he made birdie on the first two holes and eagled the par-five fifth. Three birdies in the last five, including on 18, saw him catch Lee who played in the morning.
He added: “I feel good over the golf ball. I am putting nicely, but I had no expectations this week. I know the area, I am a member across the road at Queenwood, I play a lot of golf around here. So, yes I feel comfortable here.”
Lee fell down the stairs three weeks ago in Korea and has been nursing a sore shoulder since, but he shrugged that off today.
The Canadian had to pull out of International Series Morocco last month because of the injury.
“It’s the right shoulder that hurts,” said Lee, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, with the most recent coming at the Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea in 2017.
“I have had some good treatment; been working out a little bit; been working on my game. It seems like it is trending in the right way.”
The 33-year-old, who started his round on 10 made an eagle on the par-five 14th, where he attacked the pin with a six-iron second shot and holed a six-footer.
However, it was a par save on the seventh, a par four, that made his day.
He said: “I made a great up and down for par, holing from eight feet. That really summed up my bogey-free round today.
“It is a very tough course. You must place your shot in the perfect position with your tee shots and if you do that you can make a score. If you don’t, it is going to penalise you.
“It’s a tight course but I hit a lot of drivers to be honest. I like to hit those low cut controlled drives and it’s working pretty well. Hopefully it works out tomorrow as well.”
GOOD START FOR BLANDY
Bland, who has sensationally claimed two Senior Majors on the Champions Tour this season – the Senior PGA Championship and the US Senior Open – looked like he would also finish the day in the lead but made bogey on 15 and 17.
“When the wind gets up it can be difficult, which is what happened,” said the 51-year-old.
“I am happy with the way I played, it’s a good start.”
His compatriot Andy Sullivan from England is next best placed after a 67, along with Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana, Gunn Charoenkul, Nitithorn Thippong, and Pavit Tangkamolprasert, and Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg, Robert Dinwiddie from England, and China’s Sampson Zheng.
Four-time DP World Tour winner Sullivan is coming off a two-week break and was delighted to start well.
He said: “Scored well, wouldn’t say I played great. It definitely shows I have not done a lot in two weeks. I took the kids on holiday, just been pre-occupied with the kids. Been out with my mates a bit having a good time. Haven’t played much golf so today was about seeing where we are. It has definitely highlighted I am still struggling off the tee.”
American John Catlin, leader of both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings, returned a 68, while New Zealand’s Ben Campbell, winner of International Series Morocco, came in with a 69.
This week’s US$2million tournament is the ninth event of the year on the Asian Tour and the fourth stop on The International Series.