Lucky drops boost Parsons

Parsons has solved his swing problems

Australia's Lucas Parsons rode his luck at the first and last holes in the first round of the Cannes Open to take a two-stroke lead.

Parsons, who hit a 10-under-par 62, has just returned to the Tour after working on a wayward swing that had seen him slip to 152nd in the European rankings.

The extra tuition from his coach seemed to have paid off as he made 10 birdies to move ahead of David Park of Wales.

Parsons said: "I went home four weeks ago to see my coach Barry Bent and found I was doing something for six months I wasn't even aware of.

"It was a small technical thing. It took me 24 hours to get to Australia, 24 hours to get back, and about an hour to fix it!"

Great kick

Parsons, looking to claim a place in the lucrative end-of-season Volvo Masters, admitted he had had his share of good fortune.

The 32-year-old said: "I hit a pull down the first, got a great kick off a cart path back on to the course and got a free drop.

Park has had a difficult year

"Then, on the last hole, I was right up against the clubhouse wall but got a free drop again. But in between it was just spotless."

The soft course provided a glut of birdies and Park also took full advantage, collecting nine in his round of 64.

After finishing runner-up on his Tour debut at the 1999 Moroccan Open, the Welshman has struggled this year with putting problems and a back injury.

Now the 27-year-old is aiming to keep his card by moving up from 142nd in the rankings.

Another Briton, Andrew Marshall, currently fourth on the Challenge Tour, carded an impressive 65 to share third place with Tour rookie Henrik Bjornstad.

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Cannes Open leading first round scores:

62 Lucas Parsons (Aus)
64 David Park (GB)
65 Henrik Bjornstad (Nor), Andrew Marshall (GB)
66 Roger Wessels (South Africa), Wayne Riley (Aus), Jeremy Robinson (GB), Warren Bennett (GB)
67 Jorge Berendt (Arg), Van Phillips (GB), Paul Eales (GB), Steven O'Hara (GB), Johan Rystrom (Swe), Stephen Dodd (GB), Fredrik Henge (Swe)
68 Bradley Dredge (GB), Mark Pilkington (GB), Lionel Alexandre (Fra), Dennis Edlund (Swe), Scott Gardiner (Aus), Anders Forsbrand (Swe), Robert Coles (GB), Shaun Webster (GB), Carl Suneson (Spa)
69 David Dixon (GB), Jose Manuel Carriles (Spain), Matthew Blackey (GB), Raphael Jacquelin (France), Daren Lee (GB), Jean Francois Remesy (Fra), Peter Hanson (Swe), Alastair Forsyth (GB), Neil Cheetham (GB), Roger Winchester (GB), Thomas Levet (Fra), Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Ignacio Garrido (Spa), Olle Karlsson (Swe)