Six-birdie round for Harrington

PADRAIG HARRINGTON lived to up to billing as the ‘Mr Consistency’ of the European Tour as he ended day one of the season-opening BMW Asian Open one shot off the lead.

Harrington, who earlier this month just failed to pip Retief Goosen to the European Tour Order of Merit title, fired six birdies in a flawless opening round of six-under 66.

Last season, Harrington was the only player to finish with a sub-70 stroke average on his way to 10 top 10s and a further seven top 20 placings. And on the first day over the Ta Shee course in Taiwan, the Ryder Cup star showed he had no intention of giving up the chance to gain a head-start over his rivals in officially the first event of the 2003 season.

Impeccable approach play and some excellent putting over the kind of slippery greens typical of southeast Asian courses, combined to deliver birdies at the third, fifth, sixth, eighth, 14th and 15th and he lies just a shot off the pace set by Indian Jyoti Randhawa.

Given the conditions Harrington was delighted to have posted 66, but even happier to have sustained the kind of iron play which meant he had a birdie putt on every single hole.

He said: "I am obviously pleased, particularly as the weather was bad, it was raining, it was blowing.

"To be honest, when you make a few birdies in those conditions, you see that it's possible to do it.

"I had 18 birdie putts out there, and holed six of them. You've got to be pleased with that.

"I'm not bringing any expectations for the next three days obviously I'm pleased with the way I played, but it wasn't quite effortless, none of the birdies were that short. I was thinking of shooting the best score every putt I had I was trying to hole."

The tricky greens had been tipped to favour the Asian players but Randhawa was the only one to really take advantage on an excellent first day for the European contingent.

The 30-year-old former Singapore Open champion carded a seven-under-par round of 65 that included six birdies and an eagle over the 7,101-yard course.

Germany's Sven Struver and Holland's Maarten Lafeber were alongside Harrington a shot back on 66.

It was something of a return to form for Randhawa, who currently lies 17th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, but Harrington was not surprised to see an Asian name above his on the leaderboard.

He said: "There are a lot of good Asian players. As European players, we see guys we are not familiar with and we look at how good they are and wonder why they don't have a higher profile on the world scene.''

In joint fifth after 67s were South African Des Terblanche, defending champion Jarmo Sandelin, Swede Henrik Nystrom, American Andrew Pitts and Scotland's Simon Yates.

Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley also recorded a solid start, but his round of 70 was somewhat marred by a double-bogey six at the ninth - his final hole.

Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal recovered from an outward half of 39 to return a one-over-par 73, which included three birdies in his last eight holes.

Sam Torrance, back playing after his inspirational captaincy at The Belfry, managed five birdies but also recorded six bogeys in an opening 73.

Welshman Ian Woosnam, one of the candidates to take over the skipper's mantle at the next Ryder Cup in 2004, came home with nine straight pars for a one under 71.

Darren Clarke must beware the wounded Tiger when he sets out to protect his two-shot lead over nearest pursuer Justin Rose after the first round of the Japan Tour Dunlop Phoenix tournament at Miyazaki.

Clarke hit a seven-under-par 64, while world number one Tiger Woods struggled and needed two late birdies to card a level par 71. But Woods insists this is an event he still has a chance to win.

"To shoot even-par is a mini-miracle," he said.

"I didn't hit it well and didn't putt well but managed to salvage the round with a couple of birdies near the end."

Clarke fired eight birdies to take a two-shot advantage over Rose and local duo Kaname Yokoo and Tsukasa Watanabe. He stormed to the turn in 30 with six birdies and, after his only bogey of the day on the 16th, closed with two more birdies.

Spain's Sergio Garcia was a shot further back after a 67. Defending champion David Duval ran up two bogeys and a double bogey but still managed a two-under 69 to lie five off the pace.