Swede dreams after flying start

Swede Fredrik Jacobson left Lee Westwood trailing an amazing 17 strokes behind with a record-breaking start to the Algarve Portuguese Open yesterday.

And nobody was more amazed than Jacobson himself by an eight under par 64 which knocked two strokes off the Vale do Lobo record.

“I didn’t expect that – I probably lost five balls in practice yesterday,” said the 28-year-old, playing his first round after a 10-week lay-off resting a left wrist injury that still has not fully cleared up.

Only four of the 156-strong field broke 70 on the demanding lay-out. England’s Greg Owen was delighted with his 66 to be three clear of third-placed pair Bradley Dredge and Carlos Rodiles, but even that left him two behind.

Westwood, meanwhile, slumped to an 81 that included a quadruple bogey eight on the 470-yard first, his 10th of the day.

Not even the absence of the entire world’s top 60 was enough for the Ryder Cup star to resurrect his career.

Europe’s number one just three seasons ago and world number four the following year, Westwood has fallen to 237th in the game and has to go back 20 months even for his last top 10 finish.

Westwood, now coached by David Leadbetter, was upbeat on the eve of the event, but after the latest setback said: “There was not really any bad luck to speak of. If I hadn’t had any luck I wouldn’t have broken 90.

“Would you like me to be optimistic or full of doom and gloom? I’ve learnt to accept when it is bad – I’m not going to wave a magic wand and all of a sudden play well.

“It was just a good job the wind didn’t blow, but the course doesn’t really inspire me, I have to say.”

Already four over by the turn Westwood went out of bounds from a fairway bunker at the first and from just short of the green in five left a chip way short and two-putted.

Three holes later came his only birdie, but at the 432-yard sixth he hit his approach into water and that led to a double bogey six.

Jacobson, who recorded his first European tour victory in Hong Kong in December after six runners-up finishes, had five birdies in six holes on the front nine and then had three more in the last four.

“Normally I don’t do well at first after some time off and am a slow starter,” he said. “I was actually a bit all over the place off the tee, but the rest of my game was good.”

Owen, from Mansfield, has had 19 top 10 finishes on the tour without yet turning one of them into a title success, his best being four third places.

“Everybody keeps saying ’when are you going to win, when are you going to win?’, but I’m trying to get away from that and I’m just trying to do my things well,” said the 31-year-old. “If it brings a victory great – I think it will.”

He was off to a flyer with four birdies in the first five, matched Jacobson’s outward 32 and after a bogey at the difficult 14th birdied two of the next three.

Phillip Price, trying for a record-equalling third win in the tournament, came back from an opening double bogey six to be one under with three to play, but bogeyed two of them.

Compatriot Dredge, whose last tournament was his first tour win in Madeira four weeks ago, birdied the 16th and eagled the 526-yard 17th to match the 69 of Spaniard Rodiles.

Rookie John E Morgan, who also holds a US Tour card and played his first seven events of the year there, managed only a 78 in his first-ever tour round in Europe.

His first-ever shot hit a tree and finished close to the ladies tee, but it was on the greens that the 25-year-old had most problems. “I just missed everything I stood over, but hopefully it will be different tomorrow,” he said.