Maybin holds off Molinari

Gareth Maybin was coping well again today with leading the Italian Open, yet the vast majority of the spectators were following the group behind.

European Tour rookie Maybin, beaten in a play-off for the South African Open in December, resumed three clear of the field after his course-record opening round of 64.

The crowd, though, set off with local favourite Francesco Molinari and he rewarded them with an eagle and two birdies in his first four holes to draw level on seven under par on his home Royal Park course.

The eagle came courtesy of a 30-foot putt from the fringe of the green at the long 11th, but Maybin responded with birdies at the 15th and first, while Molinari, winner of the title three years ago, three-putted the 16th and double-bogeyed the first.

As a result the Northern Irishman was nine under and three clear of England’s Marcus Higley and Argentina’s Daniel Vancsik, while Molinari slipped back into a tie for sixth.

American John Daly threatened to get into the hunt when he birdied the 10th and 15th to climb to four under, but bogeys on the 17th and first undid the good work.

Placing was being allowed on the fairways because of the forecast of thunderstorms later in the day and Englishman Robert Rock was the one to take maximum advantage.

Rock had birdies at the second, fourth, seventh and eighth to turn in 32, then moved to six under for the day and four under for the tournament by picking up further strokes at the 11th and 12th.

This is only the second event of the year for former Open champion Daly. Last November he was given a six-month US Tour ban after being put in jail to sober up and in February he underwent gastric band surgery.

The 43-year-old has already lost nearly four stone, coming down from 20 to 16 stone, and after a 31st-place finish on his return to action at last week’s Spanish Open he was looking to gain more confidence this week.