Belgium’s big-hitting Nicolas Colsaerts stormed off the Monza grid with eight birdies in succession to enjoy a two shot lead on day one of the 72° OPEN D’ITALIA presented by DAMIANI.
Colsaerts was off to a slow start from the tenth, parring his first four holes before rounding the back straight of the Milano Golf Club course with five consecutive birdies from the 14th to the 18th holes that saw him make the turn in 31.
Nicolas Colsaerts storms off the Monza grid with eight birdies in succession.
He then kept the foot to the metal with further birdies followed on the first, second and third to make it eight in a row and he had a good look at nine on the fourth but his putt from 15 feet did not quite turn.
Unfortunately, with preferred lies in play for a second Race to Dubai event in succession, Colsaerts’ name will not go in the Tour’s history books but he was just the 11th player to make eight birdies in a row on the European Tour.
“It all felt pretty easy to be fair,” he said. “We all know what it’s like when you get on fire and you keep going. I didn’t know how many it was, they were just coming. I stopped (counting) at six and it kept going for a while which was good.
“I was playing very nicely, I only holed a very long one on the second, all the other ones were very makable.”
He added: “It’s a combination of a lot of things, I was waiting for a round like this where everything clicks together.
“I keep on missing shots here and there that in the end make a difference, where today everything just went together. I’m working on a lot of things and it seems to pay off.
“I’m not the only one that’s going to have a hot streak on this course, it’s not very, very long, the back nine is very takeable so someone can go low just like I did.”
Home favourite Molinari also started on the tenth and picked up shots on the 12th, 14th, 16th and 17th to sit four under after nine holes. A further birdie followed on the fourth but he gave the stroke straight back before finishing with three gains to sit seven under.
Molinari was the youngest winner of this tournament when he triumphed in 2006 and is enjoying playing in front of a home crowd again.
“They support me all the time,” he said. “It always gives me the extra motivation to play in front of the home crowd. I wish I could do it more often than once a year.”
Kapur made the turn two under after a bogey and three birdies on the front nine but four consecutive gains from the 12th and another on the last saw him sit alongside Molinari and Broberg, who finished with five birdies.
The Swede was two under through 13 holes thanks to four birdies and two bogeys but his surging finish took him a shot clear of Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti.
The 32 year old, starting on the tenth, birdied the 11th and 14th before an eagle on the 16th moved him to four under. Nine consecutive pars followed before a birdie-birdie finish moved him up to fourth.
Local favourites Andrea Perrino and Lorenzo Gagli were then at five under with Danny Willett, Y E Yang and Paul McGinley in the group a further shot back.
* Thanks to www.europeantour.com
