American Scott Piercy sizzled in the Malaysian heat to seize a three shot lead with an equal tournament record on day one of the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur
Piercy grabbed 10 birdies on the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club course to finish well ahead of Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, who had eight birdies and a bogey in his 65.
Piercy’s 10-under score matched the tournament record set by Nick Watney, who had a 61 at the par-71 Mines Resort and Golf Club in 2012.
Jason Gore was tied for third on 66 with American compatriots Keagan Bradley and Charles Howell III plus Germany’s Alex Cejka and Cameron Smith of Australia. Eight players shared eighth place on 67, including two-time defending champion Ryan Moore and last year’s runner-up Kevin Na.
Adam Scott was tied for 16th on 68 in a group of 10 players including Padriag Harrington and Scott Brown, who made up for an earlier double bogey by hitting a hole-in-one on the par-3 15th and winning a BMW sports car as reward.
Scott Piercy sizzles with a 62 on day one of the CIMB Classic in Malaysia. (Photo – Thos Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
Piercy’s 10-under was his lowest round since a closing 61 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open two years ago.
The Las Vegas native, who turns 37 next week, started brightly with birdies on the first three holes and also finished well with birdies on 17 and 18.
Piercy began the new PGA TOUR Season with a tie for 25th at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, and blamed bad putting for holding back a game he otherwise felt “was in a good spot.”
“I made the putts I didn’t last week and got a little lucky as well,” Piercy said.
One of the “lucky” holes was the par-4 13th, where his approach shot dropped 10 feet below the green, but he managed to chip in for birdie.
“It was good fortune, a good break and it was nice to see the ball go in,” said Piercy, who has three PGA TOUR victories, including the Barbasol Championship in July.
“I only missed three or four greens today so if you got 14 chances, you’re doing pretty good.”
Matsuyama said he aimed to get plenty of rest ahead of another round Friday in the draining tropical heat.
Padraig Harrington on route to a five birdie haul on day one of the CIMB Classic. (Photo – Thos Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
“In this weather, you can’t beat yourself too much. I’ll practice a little bit and head back to the hotel,” said the 23-year-old Japanese.
“I hit my driver really well today and that was the reason for my low score. This is my third time here and I love the course. Playing the last couple of years prepared me for that.”
Scott, a former world No. 1, was satisfied with his 68 and being in a good position to challenge for the lead in the coming days.
The Australian, now 16th in the world, had an eagle on the par-5 5th but also bogeys at 7 and 12.
“The greens are rolling so you could really make some putts and I should have done better but overall, I’m happy,” he said. “We have to hit good shots as there are some trick lies and you have to play solid. You need to play good shots to get a good score.”
- Thanks to www.pgatour.com
