Friday 10 February 2017 21:59, UK
Marc Warren made the most of excellent early conditions to shoot a superb 63 and claim the first-round lead at the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur.
Warren blitzed the Saujana Golf and Country Club layout for an eagle and seven birdies in a blemish-free round, the lowest of his European Tour career, which earned him a two-shot lead over the field.
Masters champion Danny Willett made an encouraging start after disappointing performances on the Desert Swing as he carded a faultless 66, but Lee Westwood has work to do to make the cut after struggling to a 73.
The afternoon starters were hampered by increasingly blustery conditions, and nobody looked likely to match Warren's earlier round.
The Scot raced out of the blocks with four birdies over the first six holes before adding an eagle at the long eighth, and he rolled in further birdie putts from 10 feet at the 12th and 14th.
Warren, who missed the cut at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic last week, extended his lead with another gain at the 17th, and a par at the last leaves him two clear of Thai teenager Phachara Khongwatmai.
"Obviously it was a good tee-time, nice and early before the wind picked up," said Warren, who won the last of his three European Tour titles at the Made in Denmark in 2014. "I got off to a really nice start, six under for the first nine holes. Once the wind picked up on the back nine it was just a case of staying solid and hitting the greens.
"My iron play was very good and recently I have been making a lot of birdies but a lot of mistakes as well, so it was nice to get around without a bogey. Last week I made 11 birdies in two days and missed the cut so it's just a matter of trying to keep the positive stuff going, making the birdies, and cutting out the slack stuff which was good today."
Khongwatmai, one of the brightest prospects in Asian golf having become the youngest-ever winner of a professional tournament at the Singha Hua Hin Open aged only 14 in 2013, enjoyed an excellent day in just his ninth start on the European Tour.
The 17-year-old started at the 10th and made four birdies in six holes to turn in 32, and he picked up four shots in five holes from the fourth to join Warren at the top of the leaderboard before dropping his only shot of the day at the ninth.
Willett was looking to bounce back having missed the cut in Abu Dhabi while finishing outside the top 50 in Dubai, and he lifted his spirits with a solid six-birdie effort which got him into a share of third with Marcel Siem, Peter Uihlein, Arie Irawan, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Hong Kong Open champion Sam Brazel.
Ryder Cup star Rafa Cabrera Bello opened with a three-birdie 70, while former Masters champion and pre-tournament favourite Charl Schwartzel bogeyed two of the first six holes before three birdies salvaged a battling 71.
Current Race to Dubai leader Tommy Fleetwood offset two birdies with a pair of bogeys in a 72, while Westwood endured an erratic day as he mixed an eagle and a birdie with a two dropped shots and a double-bogey on the fourth.
