Higgins holds share of lead in Jakarta

Ireland’s David Higgins and Wang Ter-chang, of Taiwan, hold the clubhouse lead after six under par rounds of 66 on the first morning of the Enjoy Jakarta HSBC Indonesian Open.

Under skies that threatened, but only intermittently delivered, the rain that has been forecast to interrupt play for the four days, the morning was notable for the inability of anyone to make a clean break.

Higgins was one of four men early on to assume a joint-lead at four under par and while he maintained his form while others slid away, he was unable to shake off the attentions of Wang.

The 33-year-old hit five birdies on his front nine, recording his only bogey at the seventh.

But he managed to pull into the lead after the turn when he shot birdies at the 10th and 12th holes to move clear at six under, parring his way home, until Wang’s charge.

Only just returned to the main tour after a year getting his card back on the gruelling Challenge Tour, Higgins believes there is more to come from him in his second Far East event of the past fortnight.

He said: “I did everything quite well today, made very few mistakes, just one major mistake. There’s no reason I can’t play as well as I know I can do.

“I played well in Malaysia, I didn’t score that well, but I felt good about my game and I’m a bit more relaxed now.” Wang, who hit five birdies on his last nine holes, could have held the sole lead but for a late error when he dropped a shot at the ninth.

Just a shot off the pace is Anthony Kang, of the USA, who had quietly climbed the leaderboard and his two birdies on the front nine and four on the back were offset with just the one bogey, at the par-four 10th, to card a five under round of 67.

Kang was joined by Australian duo Brad Kennedy and Andrew Buckle, two of those tied with Higgins early on.

Thailand’s Thammanoon Srirot and Wilhelm Schauman, of Sweden, lie one stroke further back at four under.

Stephen Dodd, the highest-ranked Briton in the field, is handily placed three shots off the pace after carding a 69.

The World Cup-winning Welshman was a little erratic, dropping three shots in his round, but he also hit four birdies, as well as an eagle three holes from home.

He is level with England’s Philip Golding, who recovered from going two over after his first three holes to shoot five birdies.

Defending champion, Thai Thaworn Wiratchant, could do no better than level par 72 after four birdies and four bogeys.