Edfors shoots a 64
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Johan Edfors proved that contentment off the course leads to excellence on it when the 35 year old produced a superb eight under par 64 to lead after the first round of the Volvo Golf Champions at The Royal Golf Club in Bahrain.
Edfors married long-time girlfriend Cecilia in December and, after an idyllic honeymoon in Thailand, he returned refreshed to the game which brought him three titles on The European Tour in 2006 and two victories on the European Challenge Tour in 2003.
The rejuvenated Swede posted nine birdies in total, which more than made up for his solitary bogey of the day at the short 16th, and it not only gave him a new course record over the Montgomerie Course, it also gave him a two shot lead over four players; Spain’s Pablo Larrazábal, Graeme Storm of England, and two members of last year’s successful European Ryder Cup Team – Peter Hanson of Sweden and Italy’s Francesco Molinari, who all carded six under par 66s.
But the day, and the first round honours, belonged to Edfors who topped and tailed his round magnificently, birdieing his opening hole – the 322 yard tenth – from four feet before ending his round with closing birdies at the eighth hole, from 40 feet, and at the par five ninth where he found the green in two and two putted.
“To be honest I think I am a lot better player than five years ago when I won the three titles on Tour, but the results have not really shown that,” he said. “But today was excellent for me. I hit a lot of fairways and the distance control with my irons was spot on which meant I made a lot of good chances from within 15 feet – thankfully I took a lot of them too.”
Of the chasing pack, Hanson and Storm had the honour of completing the first round without dropping a single shot while Molinari conjured up the best finish, carding four birdies in his final eight holes to produce form reminiscent of the type he showed to hold off World Number One Lee Westwood to win the World Golf Championship event in China last November.
The stellar nature of the field who have gathered for The European Tour’s first visit to Bahrain was perfectly illustrated by the group of players who ended their first round on 67, and whose number included Ryder Cup golfers Paul Casey of England and Spain’s Sergio García, alongside Italian teenager Matteo Manassero, who won The Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year on The European Tour last season.
