SINGAPORE // South Africa’s Keith Horne shot a five-under-par 66 to lead the Singapore Open after the first round of play on Thursday, with world No 1 Jordan Spieth breathing down his neck.
Spieth and South Korea’s An Byeong-hun posted identical birdies in the fourth, seventh, 10th and 18th holes, to trail Horne by a stroke as the four-day tournament teed off at the Sentosa Golf Club Serapong Course.
Bad weather suspended play late afternoon and competition will resume Friday for 57 players who have not completed the first round.
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Playing in the city-state for the first time, Spieth remains focused on winning the Singapore Open but he was frustrated with his drives, but the 22-year-old Texan said he was still adjusting.
“It was a good start,” the 2015 US Open and Masters champion said.
“I wish I had better chances of putting inside 15 feet to birdie. I just didn’t have many Friday,” he added.
“But that will come. It’s just the first round in a different country, different time zone. It’s still an adjustment and I think each day it will get a bit better.”
Overall, Spieth said Serapong lived up to what he had heard from PGA Tour pros who had played here previously.
“My expectations were high, considering how highly people have spoken of this golf course,” Spieth said.
“It played very similar to a pretty challenging PGA Tour.”
The American has put aside earlier complaints of exhaustion after a top-five finish at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on Sunday.
Returning after a three-year hiatus and under new sponsorship, the Singapore Open offers a minimum prize purse of US$1 million (Dh3.67m). It is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation.
It was formerly one of Asia’s richest with a $6m purse when last held in November 2012.
The tournament was cancelled in 2013 after British bank Barclays chose not to renew its sponsorship. Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation is the current sponsor.
* Agence France-Presse
Leading scores
66 - Keith Horne (RSA)
67 - An Byeong-Hun (KOR), Jordan Spieth (USA)
68 - Hideto Tanihara (JPN), Rahil Gangjee (IND), Quincy Quek (SIN), Paul Peterson (USA)
69 -Prayad Marksaeng (THA), Choi Jinho (KOR), Scott Strange (AUS), Miguel Tabuena (PHI), Javi Colomo (ESP), Chapchai Nirat (THA)
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