Dodd and Lara tops in maiden Sicily venture

WELSHMAN Stephen Dodd shared the first-round lead with Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara after carding six-under 65’s at the Sicilian Open yesterday.

This is the first time the European Tour has visited Sicily and the Donnafugata Golf Resort and it was Dodd and Lara who acclimatised quickest to the course.

Cardiff-born Dodd was happy with his overall game during the round.

“I did a lot of good things out there today,” he told www.europeantour.com “I kept in play most of the time, hit some good iron shots and I putted well which is always a key for any good round.”

Dodd’s round included six birdies and an impressive eagle at the par-five 16th, but two bogeys restricted his final score as he aims for his first win on the European Tour since winning the European Open in 2006, when Lara finished joint second.

Lara’s round started rather unimpressively as he hit a double bogey on the fourth, but nine birdies over the course put him level with Dodd and the 33-year-old admitted to finding himself in a difficult position leading to the aforementioned double bogey.

“It was a strange one, I basically got a flier from the rough and the ball just went so far – straight behind a tree and I couldn’t do anything from there,” he said.

The Spaniard has two previous European Tour wins to his name, but his last came much more recently than Dodd as he won last year’s Austrian Open.

England’s Chris Wood and Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin find themselves a shot back in third.

Wood’s compatriots Steve Webster and Anthony Wall are amongst four players tied for fourth with Europe’s successful Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie tied for 17th after a first-round score of 69, leaving him two-under.

Before his round the Scot had praised the course and its inclusion on the tour.

“The course is very good – a very good layout and we have a discovered a great new destination for The European Tour here in Sicily,” he said.

Damien McGrane is the best of the Irish on 70, Gareth Maybin shot a 71, while Peter Lawrie and Shane Lowry are one further back.