December 04, 2008

GEOFF Ogilvy didn't need to be told he'd blown a special round when he opened his assault on the storm-disrupted Australian PGA Championship at the Hyatt resort with a solid 67.

Officials called a halt to play at 3.03pm (AET) because of thunder and lightning storms in the area with 78 players returning early on Friday morning to complete their opening rounds.

New Zealand left-hander Tim Wilkinson, who banked $US1.1 million ($A1.7 million) in his rookie year on the US Tour, was the clubhouse leader on six-under par when play was officially called off for the day.

His lead was one shot over Ogilvy, who failed to cash in on a hot start that promised so much.

"It could have been a pretty special nine holes but then it came undone a little bit on the back nine," mused the 2006 US Open champion who flew the blocks like Usain Bolt with a birdie-eagle start to his round.

But the wind got up, some loose shots crept into his game and the special round stagnated with a string of eight straight pars coming home.

It was Kiwi day at Coolum with Richard Lee matching Ogilvy's 67 start.

Little-known Victorian Peter Wilson, a hobby farmer from Lang Lang near Phillip Island, was cursing mother nature's timing after he'd charged into the lead at eight-under just before the storm siren blasted to call players to safety.

But before it sounded, Wilson, who led the first round of the Australian Masters two years ago after firing a 65, ran up a costly double bogey at the par four 13th hole, dropping back to six-under before walking off the course one hole later.

Ogilvy, who American John Daly described on Tuesday as one of the best iron players he'd seen, was hot early.

He birdied his opening hole, the 10th, before spearing a precision-like four iron to within two metres of the pin on the treacherous 12th green for an eagle three.

Ogilvy could have birdied every hole on the back nine on his way out.

"I could have done, yeah," agreed Ogilvy, happy to have started his quest for his breakthrough victory on home soil after playing very little golf in the past two months.

Young Victorian Peter Nolan spun a tale after getting on the leaderboard with an opening 68.

He revealed his previous lowest round had been a 61 shot in the 2001 Ballarat pro-am when he was 18.

It just happened to break the course record which had once been held by Greg Norman.
"It's a great start, a bit of a surprise," admitted the spindly 26-year-old.

Coolum specialist Peter Lonard started his defence with a two-under 70, an unspectacular start by his standards.

Robert Allenby was tied for 15th with last weekend's Masters winner Rod Pampling on two-under when play was called off.

Daly, who played in Ogilvy's group, recovered from an early double bogey to shoot 71, his up and down round featuring five birdies, a doubly bogey and two bogies.

The good news though for organisers was he finished with 14 clubs in his bag and signed his card.

APGA: Australian PGA Championship
Pos Name NAT Hole To Par 1 2 3 4 Total
T1 Tim Wilkinson NZL 0 -6 66 66
T1 Paul Sheehan AUS 1 -6 66 66
T3 Richard Lee NZL 0 -5 67 67
T3 Michael Long NZL 0 -5 67 67
T3 Peter Wilson AUS 6 -5 68 68
T3 Nathan Green AUS 3 -5 70 70
T3 Mathew Goggin AUS 2 -5 67 67
T3 Geoff Ogilvy AUS 0 -5 67 67
T9 David Lutterus AUS 4 -4 70 70
T9 Peter Nolan AUS 0 -4 68 68
T9 Rod Pampling AUS 2 -4 70 70