Golding closes in on leaders
England’s Philip Golding made a bright start to the Russian Open at the Moscow Country Club this morning.
He made six birdies in a five-under-par 67 to lie one shot behind the early leaders.
The only blemish was a bogey on the ninth hole, his last of the day after starting his round on the 10th tee.
The 44-year-old from Bushey, Hertfordshire, has a season-best finish of tied 66th at the European Open. However, the absence of Europe’s big guns in Russia means the tournament offers a chance for such players to shine.
While Europe’s elite compete at the US PGA Championship, the likes of Golding and joint leaders Fredrik Andersson Hed and Alejandro Canizares will look to benefit.
Sweden’s Andersson Hed and Canizares, who hails from Spain, both completed rounds of 66.
Two shots off the lead and in a 10-strong group on four under were Golding’s fellow Englishmen Andrew Butterfield and Jonathan Lomas, and also the defending champion Mikael Lundberg.
Swede Lundberg beat Butterfield in a play-off for the title 12 months ago.
Further down the leaderboard, on three under, was Englishman Benn Barham, who finished sixth last year, second in 2002 and fourth in 2001.
He was beside Ireland’s Gary Murphy and Scotland’s David Drysdale, who both made stunning starts to their rounds. Murphy birdied his first three holes, while Drysdale made three birdies in his opening four.
This year’s Moscow event marks the first time the tournament has had full European Tour status, which has seen the total prize money almost double from £270,000 (€397,800) to £530,000 (€780.700).
