Bernd Wiesberger and Benjamin Hebert lead European Open
Friday 25 September 2015 21:27, UK
Bernd Wiesberger fired a bogey-free 64 to share the lead with Benjamin Hebert after the opening round of the European Open in Germany.
The world No 30, the highest ranked player in this week's field, birdied three of his final four holes to match the early clubhouse leader Herbert on seven under at Bad Griesbach Golf Resort.
"I felt really good coming into this week," Wiesberger said. "I played good golf last week and I dragged that into today as well, so I'm happy with the way I started this tournament.
"You can see low scoring out here and perfect conditions so you need to take advantage of that and keep up. We had some great support out there today with Hunter (Mahan) and Bernhard (Langer).
"It was nice out there for all of us and we did feed off each other on the back nine where you feel you have to produce a good score."
Herbert posted eight gains and one blemish to set the early pace, with English pair Graeme Storm and Richard Bland part of a four-way tie one-shot off the lead.
The duo are joined on six under by Australia's Richard Green and South Africa's Darren Fichardt, who closed a blemish-free round in good scoring conditions by finishing his round with a gain at the ninth.
"I'm very pleased and happy to shoot 65," Storm, ranked 127th on the Race to Dubai, said. "It all seemed to go my way today. I'm in that precarious position of trying to keep my card again, the same as the last couple of years, but I'm grinding away and trying to get through it.
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"I am shooting decent scores. My temperament is far better than it was six months ago. I've been trying to get the mental side right and it is starting to click."
On a bunched leaderboard where just three strokes split the top-33 players, 58-year-old Bernhard Langer fired a back-nine 31 to join playing partner Hunter Mahan and South Africa's Charl Schwartzel in the large group on five under, with Miguel Angel Jimenez part of a 15-way tie a further stroke adrift.
Former US Open champion Graeme McDowell, who admitted on Wednesday he is looking to "resurrect" his season after one top-10 finish all year, carded a 68 which was matched by Germany's Max Kieffer.
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