HUIZING SHOOTS COURSE-RECORD 61 TO LEAD IN FRANCE

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Daan Huizing was the talk of the opening day at Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge as he flirted with history en route to a sumptuous round of 61 in France.

In just his sixth start on the Challenge Tour, the Dutchman, pictured by courtesy of Getty Images(c), was ten under par through 15 holes at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil, as he attempted to become only the second man in Challenge Tour history to shoot 59.

A birdie at the seventh, his 16th, was the ideal start to the final trio of holes as he neared history, but a couple of pars to finish still saw him sign for the lowest round of the season so far, a new course record, and a two stroke advantage over Englishman Jason Barnes.

Adrien Mörk, who had not played on the Challenge Tour in three years but carded an opening 69 on Thursday, therefore remains the only man to break 60 on the circuit. In 2006 he fired a second round 59 en route to the Tikida Hotels Agadir Moroccan Classic title, and a rare appearance from the Frenchman almost proved a good omen for Huizing.

“Of course I knew I was going low,” admitted the Dutchman. “That 59 was in my mind a little bit, but I tried to block it out as I had a similar situation earlier in the year, where I was going really low after 13 holes and then started thinking about shooting 59. That’s when you know you are not focused on the task anymore, so I tried to keep focused on one shot at a time, what I needed to do on the course, and it almost worked out.

“I really like the challenge of a course like this as you know guys are going to shoot eight or nine under, so when you are only six under you know it’s not enough and you have to keep going. That’s what I like about the Challenge Tour, there is just so much more competition, it gets you a lot sharper and gives you good incentive to work hard at home.

Huizing is two strokes clear of Jason Barnes, who himself went bogey free on Thursday morning to shoot the lowest round of his Challenge Tour career, a nine under par 63.

The Englishman is a shot ahead of compatriot Andrew Johnston, who carded an opening 64 on Thursday, and is tied alongside Karnten Golf Open presented by Mazda winner Dylan Frittelli.

With them in a tie for third are the three leading Frenchmen, François Calmels, who is looking for a third win of 2013 after victories at the Challenge de Madrid and D+D Real Czech Challenge Open earlier in the year, with Edouard Espana and Lionel Weber.

FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD

 par 72

61 D Huizing (Ned) 

63 J Barnes (Eng) 

64 A Johnston (Eng) , D Frittelli (RSA) , F Calmels  (Fra) , E Espana (Fra) , L Weber (Fra) 

65 J Lima  (Por) , S Kim (Kor) , R Marguery (Fra) , 

66 K Borsheim  (Nor) , R Quiros  (Esp) , A Velasco (Esp) , D Stewart (Sco) , J Fahrbring (Swe) , S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) , B Hebert  (Fra)

67 N Kearney (Irl), P Maddy (Eng) , C Kim (USA) , C Russo (Fra) , H Joannes  (Bel) 

68 P Peracino (Fra) , J McLeary  (Sco) , O Whiteley (Eng) , W Besseling  (Ned) , P Dwyer (Eng) , J Carlsson (Swe) , A Otaegui (Esp) , L Kennedy  (Eng) , B An (Kor) , M Jonzon (Swe) , L Corfield  (Eng) , B McCarroll  (Irl) 

69 D Ulrich (Sui) , D Nouailhac (Fra) , L Goddard  (Eng) , A Domingo (Esp) , M Zions (Aus) , R Steiner (Aut) , A Bernadet  (Fra) , B Chapellan (Fra) , J Legarrea (Esp) , S Fallon (Eng) , T Murray (Eng) , T Fournier  (Fra) , W Booth  (Sco) , S Hutsby  (Eng) , M Bey (Fra) , L Canter (Eng) , R Russell (Sco) , B Paolini (USA) , B Evans  (Eng) , A Mörk (Fra) , N Lemke (Swe) , J Heath  (Eng)

70 S Brown (Eng) , J Dantorp (Swe) , G Stal (Fra), P Archer (Eng) , J Abbott (Eng) , D Salisbury (Eng) , M Rominger  (Sui) , J Gressier (Fra) , G Houston (Wal) , S Piaget  (Mon) , J Remesy (Fra) , T Haylock  (Eng) , J Howarth (Eng) , C Sordet (am) (Fra)

71 M Quiros (Esp) , G Cambis  (Fra) , J Jeong (Kor) , D Perrier (Fra) , J Gibb (Eng) , E Dubois (Fra) , G Murray  (Sco) , J Pastor Lopez (Esp) , A Gee  (Eng) , T Linard (Fra) , M Haines  (Eng) , M Ford (Eng) , A Schwartz (Fra) , X Poncelet  (Fra) , A Perrino  (Ita) , S Tiley (Eng) , M Brier (Aut) , M Haastrup  (Den) , 

72 J Timmis (Eng) , K Ferrie (Eng) , J Lopez Lazaro (Fra) , R Dinwiddie  (Eng) , J Hepworth (Eng) , A Rota (Ita) , A Hortal  (Esp) , J Belot (Fra) , N Meitinger  (Ger) , J Garcia Pinto (Esp) , F Bergamaschi (Ita) , J Mikkelsen (Nor) , N Peyrichou (Fra) , T Nørret (Den) , S Gros (Fra) , R Schneider (Fra) , S Walker (Eng) , J Ruth  (Eng) , A Saddier (Fra) , D Im (USA) 

73 J Guerrier (Fra) , J Moul  (Eng) , D Vancsik (Arg) , J Foret (Fra) , C Hanson (Eng) , D Kemmer (USA) , B Nicolay  (Fra) , K Le Sager  (Fra) , S Manley (Wal) , R Bechu (Fra) , N Quintarelli (Ita) , F Marty (Fra) , C Aguilar  (Esp) , P Edberg (Swe) , D Geminiani (Ita)

74 T Hatton (Eng) , S Arnold  (Aus) , N Tacher (Fra) , P Figueiredo  (Por) , B Ritthammer (Ger) 

75 N Joakimides (Fra) , V Riu  (Fra) , R Berrube (Fra) , F Colombo (Ita) , O Rozner  (Fra) , O Wilson (Eng) , D Palm (Swe) , J Watts (Eng) , D Griffiths  (Eng) , O Farr (Wal) , P Relecom  (Bel) , C Brazillier  (Fra) , C Ford (Eng) , F Abadie (Fra) , T Beaucousin (am) (Fra) , T Elissalde (am) (Fra) 

76 L Saltman (Sco) , J Verselin (Fra) , F Delamontagne  (Fra) , S Whiffin (Eng) , R Davies (Wal) , A McArthur  (Sco) 

77 L Bjerregaard  (Den) , J Grillon  (Fra) , N Bertasio (Ita) , P Barjon (am) (Fra) , 

80 O Nier (Fra) , A Bihan (Fra) , 

 

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATION