Jeev cards 70 in round one

Australian Robert Allenby held a one-shot lead over three others – a consistent Lee Westwood, hugely talented and young Chris Wood and the fashionable Colombian Camilo Villegas – at the end of an eventful first round.

Allenby had eight birdies, five of them on back nine, and one bogey for his 65, while Villegas turned in a bogey-free 66 and Westwood and Wood had seven birdies and one bogey each in their 66s.

“That was one of toughest tests of golf we had on the opening day. I had maintained that the pin placement will determine the scores, and that’s what happened,” said Jeev.
Jeev opened the day with a birdie on the first and then added two more on fifth and ninth, but in between on third he dropped a shot with a three-putt. On the back nine, he bogeyed the12th and picked a shot on 15th before parring the last three.

“I did not birdie a single par-five and that was a little disappointing,” he said.
Jeev said he was satisfied with the 70. “I will take a round like this on any opening day, but I know that I left at least a couple of shots out there on the golf course. I three-putted twice – on the third for a bogey and on the par-5 seventh for a par,” he added.

Leading scores: Robert Allenby (Aus) 65; Camilo Villegas (Col) 66; Lee Westwood (Bri) 66; Chris Wood (Bri) 66; Thomas Aiken (SA) 68; Padraig Harrington (Ire) 68; Liang Wenchong (Chn) 68; Rory McIlroy (Bri) 68; Adam Scott (Aus) 68.