Spectacular Oda grabs the limelight

Japan’s Koumei Oda stole the limelight in the first round of the US$1-million Thailand Open, carding a spectacular 64 to grab a one-stroke lead over a chasing pack of six golfers at the par-72 6,966-yard Thana City Golf & Sports Club yesterday.

The 34-year-old fired 11 birdies, six straight from the second to seventh holes, against a bogey on the eighth and a double bogey on the 15th under hot and humid conditions. 

The winner of five Japan Tour titles was a shot ahead of six players – South Koreans Jung-gon Hwang and Min-gyu Cho, Brazilian Lucas Lee, American John Kim and Australians David McKenzie and Matthew Griffin. 

“It was very hot. … The course is okay. I had some problems with the undulating greens and the swirling winds here. I had to hit with power,” said Oda, who represented Asia in the Royal Trophy when it was played in Hua Hin.

Wisut Artjanawat emerged as the best Thai performer of the day after carding a 66. The Asean Tour member, who started from the 10th hole yesterday, could have set Thai spirits soaring had he hung on at the top of the leaderboard, eight-under going into the ninth hole. But a dismal double bogey pushed him back to six-under and a tie for eighth along with former AsiaOne No 1 Australian Scott Strange and Simon Yates of Scotland.

“I made a really bad mistake on my last hole. I pulled my drive left and then hit out into the fairway. That bit was okay but then I missed the green with my third shot. It was only 90 yards but I hit it into a bunker. That was so bad. I hit it out of the bunker and made two putts,” said Wisut who admitted to losing steam from the seventh hole.

“I think I got very, very tired at the end and was not concentrating because I did not eat much for breakfast. I felt a bit weak. It was very hot out there,” said the Thai, who finished third last year at the Suwan Golf and Country Club.

A stroke behind was defending champion Chris Wood of England, who carded a 67 to take joint 11th place alongside three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington of Ireland. 

“I shot five-under in the first round last year, so hopefully that is a good sign. The good thing is that everything is in front of you, so you can see the hole unfold from off the tee. That makes it a little bit easier,” said Briton, who won his maiden title at the Suwan Golf and Country Club 12 months ago.

Prayad Marksaeng, with two bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes, hit a 68 to end the day joint 22nd along with Sattaya Supuppramai. 

Thaworn Wiratchant had to be content with an opening 70, jet lag as a factor in his score after only arriving home on Tuesday morning from Florida.

“This would be my bed time if I were in the US. I couldn’t adjust to the conditions here and couldn’t control the weight of my putting. I just need to play safe in the early rounds and hope to shoot more birdies later,” said the 46-year-old 2012 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner.

 

McGinley determined

Paul McGinley said he was determined not to let his Ryder Cup captaincy affect his performances on the course as he started with a solid two-under-par 70 at the Thailand Open.

The 46-year-old Irishman, Europe’s non-playing captain for the 2014 edition at Scotland’s Gleneagles, admitted some of his predecessors had found it tough to juggle the high-pressure role with maintaining their own game.

“It is a challenge, there is no doubt about that. I think history proves that being Ryder Cup captain always takes a toll on a captain’s playing career,” said McGinley, who holed the winning putt in the 2002 Ryder Cup.

“I am aware of that history and all the stuff that goes on, but I would like to think I am going to be different and I am going to play well over the next two years. Certainly it is a good motivating factor for me.”

McGinley mixed four birdies with two bogeys at the par-72 Thana City Golf and Sports Club to lie five shots off the clubhouse lead late on day one.

“I am playing in America next week and then I have a few weeks off and then I play in China and Korea,” he said, according to a press release from organisers.

“I have got a good bit of golf coming up and the Ryder Cup stuff I am going to park for the next six weeks and I am going to be a golfer and I am looking forward to that.”