BMW PGA Championship rounds taking 5hr 20min

Fernandez-Castano's waiting game pays off

with share of lead on 67 at Wentworth

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño proved that patience really is a virtue as he picked up three shots in his last two holes to take a share of the lead after the first day of the BMW PGA Championship.
British Masters winner Fernandez-Castaño, who recorded three consecutive runner-up finishes earlier in the year, shot a five under par 67 at Wentworth Club to join England’s David Horsey and Anthony Wall in a share of the lead after the opening round.
“You had to be patient because it took us five hours and 20 minutes to finish the round,” he said. “You had to be patient if you want to do well.
“That chip on the 17th was fantastic. I missed the green short and right with my second, probably the last place you want to be on that hole with that pin position today and how hard the greens are.
“I did a fantastic chip and that was a birdie, and then a fantastic five wood on the last to four feet and then holed it. So that's a great feeling to end the day.”
European Tour rookie Horsey, a team-mate of Rory McIlroy at the 2007 Walker Cup and winner of last season's Challenge Tour, was the first of the 150-strong field to tee off at 7am.
He was one over after five holes of his debut but birdied the next two, added another on the 12th and finished with three more.
“I started off a little bit slow, two three putts on three and four, four being for par, which was a bit disappointing,” said the 24 year old Cheshire golfer.
“And then I birdied six I think and then four birdies on the back nine. I birdied 12, and the last three, so, yeah, strong finish. The back nine is playing downwind today, so it's a little bit easier than the front nine, but you've still got to shoot the score, so I'm very pleased with how I finished.”
Londoner Wall, only two groups behind him, also came home in a four under 33.
The trio face a tough task maintaining their one stroke advantage over the field, with some big names queuing up behind in The European Tour’s flagship event.
Two more Englishmen are only one behind at four under in the shape of Barry Lane and Ross Fisher, along with South African star Charl Schwartzel, Swede Niclas Fasth and defending champion Miguel Angel Jiménez.
“This course with this wind, between the trees sometimes, it makes it quite difficult choosing the clubs” said the Spaniard.
“I played very well, very solid from tee to green, and that's what you need on this golf course. You need to play with the ball and make the putts. I've been playing very well here for the last few years and I feel good on the golf course, it's very nice, and you have to keep focused.”
Colin Montgomerie hit back from his closing 80 at The 3 Irish Open with a three under 69, the same as World No. 7 Paul Casey and last season's European Order of Merit winner Robert Karlsson.
"One 69 is okay but what I have to do is put another one on the board, then another one," said the Ryder Cup captain. "If I can do that, I'll be thrilled.
"I have to set my goals the way they were - to win. I feel capable of it still and it's just a matter of going out and proving it to myself. I haven't been doing that."
American Anthony Kang, compatriot and former Open Championship winner Ben Curtis, Scotland’s Scott Drummond, Dane Søren Kjeldsen, Karlsson’s compatriot Alexander Noren, Martin Lafeber of The Netherlands another Spaniard, Alvaro Quiros, also signed for rounds of 69.
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