Poulter ahead in Spain

Poulter has dazzled in the Spanish sunshine

Click here for leaderboard

Ian Poulter has taken an early lead in the Volvo Masters in Spain, shooting an eight-under-par 64 in the first round.

Last season's rookie of the year made six birdies and eagled the 517-yard 16th.

Poulter has a one-shot lead over Australian Peter Lonard in pursuit of the £333,330 top prize.

Order of Merit winner Retief Goosen looked like threatening Poulter's position when he followed two opening birdies with a 50-foot eagle putt at the third.

Finishing third in Italy last week meant I came here feeling great

Ian Poulter

But then came a drive out of bounds and a double bogey six two holes and took six at the 16th to finish on 68.

Padraig Harrington and Brian Davis both reached six under before double-bogeying the 13th and 18th, while Colin Montgomerie dropped two shots at the 17th for a one-under 71.

Lee Westwood, yet to register a victory in a season he began as Europe's number one, scored 69 - one better than Darren Clarke.

Lonard, yet to win on the European tour 10 years after he made his debut, matched Poulter by making an eagle at the 16th and had six birdies, but he bogeyed the 15th.

He said: "That's probably as good as I've putted for a while. I've never putted as well here as I have in Australia.

"The greens back home are faster and harder, but on the European tour you have to hit the ball harder from four or five feet and I've struggled with that."

Lonard is delighted with his putting

Paul McGinley was another to eagle the 16th - and a 15-foot putt at the last brought him to third place.

Sweden's Henrik Stenson, winner of the Benson and Hedges International Open at The Belfry in May, slumped to a nine-over-par 81.

Rookie Stenson has recently missed eight halfway cuts in 10 starts.

He was seventh in last week's Italian Open, but a return to form has been short-lived.

He had a double bogey seven on the third, did manage to birdie the next, but then bogeyed the sixth, seventh, ninth and 10th.

Another double came on the short 11th and a triple bogey seven at the 15th.

---

Standings (GB & Ireland unless stated)

64 - Ian Poulter

65 - Peter Lonard (Australia)

66 - Paul McGinley

67 - Adam Scott (Australia)
Padraig Harrington

68 - Brian Davis
Retief Goosen (South Africa)

69 - Gary Evans
Mark McNulty (Zimbabwe)
Nick O'Hern (Australia)
Anders Hansen (Denmark)
Thomas Levet (France)
David Howell
Lee Westwood
Tony Johnstone (Zimbabwe)
Bernhard Langer (Germany)
Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain)
Angel Cabrera (Argentina)
Justin Rose
Dean Robertson

70 - Mark Mouland
Carl Pettersson (Sweden)
Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark)
Brett Rumford (Australia)
Steve Webster
Stephen Gallacher
Raymond Russell
Gregory Havret (France)
Charlie Wi (South Korea)
Roger Wessels (South Africa)
Andrew Coltart
Mathias Gronberg (Sweden)
Phillip Price
Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain)
Darren Clarke

Back to top