Davies, Garrido tied for lead

Hot work: Davies

I think that on any golf course starting with a 65 is a great score, particularly round here where the climate is completely different from the one I have been used to in the last couple of months with the snow in Madrid.

Ignacio Garrido
Quotes of the week

First round leaderboard
(GB and Ire unless stated)
-7 R Davies
-7 I Garrido (Spn)
-6 T Jaidee (Tha)
-6 D-H Kim (Kor)
-5 A Canizares (Spn)
-5 KJ Choi (Kor)
-5 M Foster
-5 M Haastrup (Den)

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Challenge Tour graduate Rhys Davies and former Ryder Cup player Ignacio Garrido share the lead at seven-under-par after the opening day of the Maybank Malaysian Open.

The duo are one clear of two-time former winner Thongchai Jaidee and South Korea's Dae-Hyun Kim, although 30 players have yet to complete their first rounds after a thunderstorm brought a premature end to play on Thursday.

Welshman Davies produced five birdies on the front nine to reach the turn in just 31 and picked up further shots at the 10th and 17th to complete a bogey-free effort of 65 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

He joined Garrido at the top of the leaderboard, the Spaniard having set the benchmark with a superb putting display that yielded six birdies and an eagle, along with a solitary bogey on the seventh.

"I didn't actually have the best warm-up this morning so I wasn't striking the ball as well as I would have liked and I tried not to think about it," said Davies, who won twice on the Challenge Tour last year.

Important

"I think the fact that I made a few birdies early on was important for me and I just pushed on from there.

"It went well, I hit a good few shots early on and had birdie chances on six of the first seven and made most of them. I had a really good run early on and it gave me something to play for later in the day.

"It is scoreable on the front, there are a few more demanding holes on the back nine with a bit more length with more trouble."

Garrido, without a victory since 2003, was also satisfied with his day's work.

"I am very pleased," he said. "I think that on any golf course starting with a 65 is a great score, particularly round here where the climate is completely different from the one I have been used to in the last couple of months with the snow in Madrid.

"The grass is also difficult for us, although it is not as grainy as other greens in Asia, but is still tricky."

Asian number one Jaidee missed two of his final three greens to account for a pair of late bogeys in his 66, although the world number 44 remained upbeat.

"If you have confidence you won't have any pressure," he said.

Upbeat

"If your driver, irons and putting are good, you are going to get a low score and win the tournament. I'm thinking about winning, I think this is a good chance for me."

South Korea's KJ Choi dropped his only shot of the day at the last to card a five-under-par 67 and sits alongside Spain's Alejandro Canizares, Dane Mark Haastrup and England's Mark Foster in a share of fifth place.

Of the afternoon starters, only a resurgent Thomas Bjorn, fresh from top-15 finishes in his last two events, made an impact to join a large contingent rounding out the top 10 at four under.