Share

Three-way tie in Russia

Moscow - China's Liang Wen-Chong hit a five-under par 67 to grab a share of the lead after the Russian Open first round on Thursday.

Liang, whose only European Tour title came six years ago in Singapore, carded six birdies against one bogey as he continued the form that took him to third place finishes in Austria and India this season.

"I played really nicely today and hit the ball in very close to a lot of pins so had some fairly easy birdies," said Liang.

"It is a very beautiful course and that stretch of three holes from 11 to 13 are just so beautiful.

"They are three of the best holes we will play on Tour this year."

England's Simon Dyson and Rikard Karlberg of Sweden also topped the leaderboard after the first day at the Tseleevo Golf & Polo Club.

Dyson, a six-time European Tour winner who has slipped to 164th in the world, made just seven cuts in his first 15 events of 2013.

Former world tennis No 1, Yevgeny Kafelnikov carded 81 and looks certain to miss the cut on Friday.

Leading and selected first round scores in the European Tour Russian Open at the Tseleevo Golf and Polo Club on Thursday (GBR/IRL unless stated, par 72):

67 - Simon Dyson, Rikard Karlberg (SWE), Liang Wen-Chong (CHN)

68 - Alessandro Tadini (ITA), Javier Colomo (ESP), Matthew Baldwin, James Morrison

69 - Matthew Nixon, Maarten Lafeber (NED), Matteo Delpodio (ITA), Mikko Korhonen (FIN), Sam Little, Mark Foster

70 - Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (FRA), Michael Campbell (NZL), Daniel Gaunt (AUS), David Horsey, Jake Roos (RSA), Anthony Snobeck (FRA), Scott Hend (AUS), Alexandre Kaleka (FRA), Andreas Harto (DEN), Pablo Martin Benavides (ESP), Michael Hoey

71 - Jeev Milkha Singh (IND), Gareth Shaw, Magnus A Carlsson (SWE), James Kingston (RSA), Haydn Porteous (RSA), Tom Lewis, Terry Pilkadaris (AUS), Jorge Fernandez-Valdes (ARG), Jamie Elson, Prom Meesawat (THA), Robert Rock, Jurgen Maurer (AUT), David Higgins, Nils Floren (SWE), Chris Lloyd

Selected:

72 - Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (IND)

73 - Tjaart Van Der Walt (RSA)

74 - Oliver Bekker (RSA), Gaganjeet Bhullar (IND)

75 - Justin Walters (RSA)

76 - Shiv Kapur (IND)

78 - Anirban Lahiri (IND)

81 - Yevgeny Kafelnikov (RUS)

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE