Golf: Ogilvy in shock as he hits front

Australian golfer Geoff Ogilvy was as surprised as anyone that he shared the lead after the first round of the Buick Challenge in Georgia yesterday.

"On the range, before I teed off, I was hitting the ball the worst I have all year, so I gave up," Ogilvy said after joining Fiji's Vijay Singh at eight-under 64.

"I stopped hitting balls. I didn't even bother hitting a driver. I decided to stop thinking of everything, aim at the fairway and hit it, then aim at the pin and hit it.

"If you'd told me I was going to make eight birdies and no bogeys, I would have laughed."

Ogilvy, who has made just three cuts in his past 16 tournaments on the US Tour, and Singh lead by one stroke from five others - Americans Joel Edwards, Danny Ellis, Neal Lancaster and Mike Sposa, and Per-Ulrik Johansson, of Sweden.

Frank Nobilo was the leading New Zealander on three-under 69. Grant Waite posted 70 and Craig Perks ballooned out with 77.

Ogilvy, 24, enjoyed a couple of good breaks. On the par-five seventh, he hit a wayward drive that clattered into trees before ricocheting back out to the edge of the fairway, from where he made birdie.

He also holed a bunker shot to birdie the par-four ninth.

In Spain, Irish golfer Padraig Harrington, seeking his first win this year, shot an eight-under 63 in the first round of the $US1.26 million ($3.05 million) Madrid Open.

That equalled the Club de Campo's course record, but will not stand because players were playing preferred lies on the sodden fairways.

England's Stephen Gallacher fired 64 to be a shot off the pace, and Spain's Carlos Rodiles and Miguel Angel Jimenez tied for third with Ireland's Des Smyth at 65.

South Africa's Retief Goosen placed himself perfectly to clinch the European No 1 spot when he carded a 66 to tie for sixth.

New Zealand's Greg Turner made a positive start by posting 68.

Goosen, the US Open champion, holds a lead of $US680,996 over Darren Clarke, of Northern Ireland, on the European money list and Clarke must win his last two tournaments to have a slight chance of taking over top spot.

Back in the US, Bob Gilder continued his recent stretch of solid form, shooting a five-under 67 to take the lead after the first round of the Senior Tour Championship in Oklahoma City.

Gilder, who tied for second last week at San Antonio and tied for fourth a week earlier at Napa, California, had a bogey-free round and was one stroke ahead of Tom Kite.

Bruce Summerhays and Jim Ahern were another shot back at three-under.

Gilder, who is in his rookie season on the senior tour, missed short birdie putts on the first two holes and had good birdie chances on a handful of others.

Defending champion Tom Watson overcame a triple-bogey eight on the third to shoot a 71.

- AGENCIES