Soren in Volvo driving seat

Kjeldsen: three shots clear

First round leaderboard:
(GB & Ire unless stated)
S Kjeldsen (Den) -6
S Garcia (Spa) -3
D Lynn -2
A Wall -2
H Otto (SA) -1
L Westwood -1

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Soren Kjeldsen posted a superb 65 to open a three-shot lead after the first round of the Volvo Masters.

On a day when very few of the 57-man field came to terms with the tough Valderrama lay-out and some gusty winds, the Dane produced a sparkling exhibition of golf as he made no fewer than eight birdies to set the pace on six-under-par.

He finished the day three clear of Sergio Garcia who is bidding to make it back-to-back successes after his win at the Castello Masters last week.

English duo David Lynn and Anthony Wall are a shot further back on two-under-par, while it proved a day of contrasting fortunes for the four men chasing the Order of Merit crown.

Leader Robert Karlsson came up with a couple of late birdies to limit the damage of earlier in his round, finishing on two-over-par, but it was a frustrating day for nearest challenger Padraig Harrington who could do no better than a 76 (five-over).

Miguel Angel Jimenez matched the 73 of Karlsson, but it was Lee Westwood who got his bid of to the best start with a solid one-under-par 70.

However, it is still the Swede who holds the upper hand with Harrington needing to win or finish second, with Karlsson outside the top two, to topple his rival and Westwood requiring nothing less than victory with the proviso that Karlsson comes home outside the top-three.

The Swede was some way from his consistent best, especially on the front nine as he racked up five bogeys and just a single birdie.

But he rallied on the way home with seven pars and two more birdies at 15 and 18 ensuring he restored respectability to his card.

Harrington never looked at ease on a course which, by his own admission, does not rank amongst his favourites and failed to make a single birdie as he toiled from start to finish.

Five bogeys ensured the Dubliner is going to have to produce something very special over the next three days if he is to add the Harry Vardon Trophy to his Open and USPGA crowns.

Indeed, the entire field could be playing for second if Kjeldsen maintains his superlative early form.

The 33-year-old signalled his intentions with a birdie at the first and reached the turn in just 31 strokes, as back-to-back birdies at five and six and eight and nine sandwiched one of only two dropped shots at seven.

Another birdie followed at 12 and, after his second bogey at 13, he holed from the fringe at 14 and 15 - the second from monster range - to ensure he finished some way clear of the field.

"The breeze was strong and there's not that much space out there really," Kjeldsen said afterwards.

"You have to control the ball well and seems like pretty much every shot I hit today came up sort of the way I saw it before hitting it.

"You've got to take advantage of those days, and I did. There's a long way to go. But to do six under today, I couldn't have predicted that."

Defending champion Justin Rose experienced a day he will want to forget as, the first man out and playing with a marker, he shot an error-strewn 80 to end the day in last place on his own.