Schwartzel primed for tour history

SOUTH AFRICAN Charl Schwartzel yesterday gave himself another chance to become the youngest winner in European Tour history.

Playing just his 11th professional event and already with a third-place finish in the South African Open to his name, Schwartzel began the Canaries Spanish Open in Tenerife with a superb nine-under-par 63 to be joint leader late in the day with Sweden's Marten Olander.

Compatriot Dale Hayes was 18 years and nine months when he won the title in Barcelona in 1971. Schwartzel is two months younger.

Less than 10 stone weight, the teenager came home in 29 thanks to three birdies and eagles at both the 567-yard third and 547-yard eighth.

Costa Adeje, a new venue for the tournament, has six par-fives and Schwartzel covered them in seven under. Yet he said afterwards:

"Generally speaking I didn't play very well. I didn't drive very well and missed a lot of fairways. But you can get away with it on this course.

"I was never really in big trouble, my iron play was good and then on my back nine my putter woke up," he said.

It was the lowest round of his five-month-old pro career, but one outside the 62 he shot as an amateur on his home club Maccauvlei.

At 13, Schwartzel was introduced to Ernie Els and that was the year he decided to give up all other sports to concentrate on golf.

Like Els, he had shown talent at tennis and rugby, but unlike Els he did not have the build for the latter and he has had no reason to regret his decision.

Sergio Garcia, trying to become the first player since Max Faulkner in 1953 to make a successful defence of the title, finished the day already six strokes behind Schwartzel.

"I think it is too much of a putting contest," said the Spaniard, himself only 19 when he lifted the 1999 Irish Open to be the fourth youngest tour winner ever.

"The greens are not the best. Coming from Augusta to here is a bit of a change and whoever handles them best is going to win," he said.

Scoring, as predicted by the players, was among the lowest ever seen on the European Tour and if it is repeated in the second round, the half-way cut record of five under par will be broken.

Sweden's Jarmo Sandelin and Dane Soren Hansen had both set course records of 64 before Schwartzel lowered it again.

Then Olander joined the Johannesburg golfer, not dropping a shot either and covering the back nine in 30. Jose Maria Olazabal, meanwhile, joined Hansen and Sandelin, while out on the course Scotland's Andrew Oldcorn played his first 11 holes in eight under and with five to play was only one behind.

England's Shaun Webster and another Swede, Peter Hedblom, were also eight under with three to play.

Seve Ballesteros revelled in the easy conditions too. A 68 was his best round for ages.

Olander had a tour record eight successive birdies in the French Open last year and said:

"I think that there could well be a 59 this week hopefully by me. Usually when I get on a run I keep going," he said.

English pair Paul Casey and Miles Tunnicliff also came in with 64s.