Casey leads after birdie blitz

ENGLAND'S Paul Casey survived everything the notorious Melbourne weather could throw at him to shoot a seven-under-par round of 65 and hold the overnight lead at the Heineken Classic in Melbourne.

The 25-year-old from Cheltenham teed off in the teeming rain and was putting on the 11th, his second, when play was suspended for 90 minutes as the greens became waterlogged.

But once the fickle Melbourne weather had turned warm and sunny again, Casey put together an almost faultless display to shoot eight birdies and claim the outright lead at Royal Melbourne.