Brilliant Bourdy blasts into Austrian lead
Bourdy leads by two after 69 at Lyoness OpenEUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONSGrégory Bourdy’s magnificent seven under par 65 saw the Frenchman sail into the first-round lead of the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity.
The 33 year old’s brilliance over the Diamond Country Club ensured a two-stroke lead over Spain’s Carlos Del Moral, the English duo of Rob Dinwiddie and Chris Wood, and Germany’s Max Kieffer who all carded first round scores of five under.
Two birdies in his opening two holes gave Bourdy the effect start to his day and the resulting surge in confidence inspired his flawless first round score as he added a further five birdies and not a single dropped shot.
While Bourdy and the rest of the first round’s best performers left the Diamond Country Club satisfied with a good day’s work, Austria’s Number One and tournament favourite Bernd Wiesberger had a day to forget as he posted a seven over par 79.
Player QuotesGrégory Bourdy – 65 (-7): “It was a lovely day today. I played very solid and started well with two birdies in the first two holes and that always helps when you make such a confident start and something you need when you are going to have a day like I had today
“I knew that I could do well at this golf course because I have played very well here in the past and it always helps when you have good memories of a certain golf course. I have been playing well this year with some decent results. I wasn’t happy with the results I had in Wentworth and Ireland because I was full of confidence but didn’t finish well, so coming here and making a good start is even more satisfying.”
Max Kieffer – 67 (-5): “It’s awesome to be here and playing in these warm and perfect conditions. The last few weeks have been really tough with a lot of cold and wind which really makes the game so much more difficult. But today was so much more relaxed and I was able to play well in these great conditions. I have been playing well recently so was quite confident coming into this week.
“I love playing in Austria and especially here at this golf course because it reminds me of a lot of the courses in Germany and where I grew up. The course is in great shape too and that helps a lot.”
Chris Wood – 67 (-5): “It was a solid score. The conditions were perfect this morning but I have to say that after the conditions we have been playing in for the last three weeks it is great to come somewhere hot and where you can shoot a few under if you play well.
“I am glad I took the week off last week because after playing in Spain, Wentworth and particularly Ireland it was really tough and I needed a bit of a break. Three weeks in a row is probably my limit so it was nice to get six days off at home and get fresh for this week. I gave myself lots of chances today so it was an enjoyable day out there – I am looking forward to the rest of the week now.”
Robert Dinwiddie – 67 (-5): “That was very satisfying. I got off to a good start and managed to stay positive and make a few more birdies coming in so it was a great day. I am slowly making my way back from the injury but it has been a long time.
“I ruptured a disk in my lower back in April last year which then affected the nerve all the way down my leg. The doctors recommended I take some time out and thankfully I didn’t need an operation but it wasn’t until November that I was able to hit balls again so it was a long break but looking back on it I probably needed a break from the game.
“It feels much better now than it has for about five years so it’s all positive apart from all the boring stretching I have to do – I spend about half the night on my hotel room floor trying to get the back in good shape! But that is what I need to do to be able to play so I need to accept that and be grateful for what I have. It’s all worth it when you shoot scores like I did today and hopefully I can keep it going for the rest of the week.”
Carlos Del Moral – 67 (-5): “I understood the course a little bit better this time around and 67 is a great score. It was perfect conditions today but because the course is very firm so you have to work hard to keep the ball in the right places. I played very well today and putted well too so it was great start to the week for me. I have made a few changes with a new coach and new equipment this year and it is starting to have a positive effect – there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel!”
Bernd Wiesberger – 79 (+7): “I can’t explain what happened today to be honest with you. There were so many bad shots that I am still not really sure what happened out there. I haven’t played that catastrophically for at least ten years.”
FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD:Par 72
65 G Bourdy (Fra);
67 C Wood (Eng); R Dinwiddie (Eng); C Del Moral (Esp); M Kieffer (Ger);
68 G Stal (Fra);
D Drysdale (Sco); P Lawrie (Irl); J Edfors (Swe); R Evans (Eng); C Bouniol (Fra);
69 J Quesne (Fra); J Singh (Ind); R Cabrera-Bello (Esp); A Otaegui (Esp); M Bremner (RSA); C Shinkwin (Eng); J Legarrea (Esp); M Korhonen (Fin); M Fitzpatrick (Eng); L Slattery (Eng);
70 S Henry (Sco); K Broberg (Swe); J Carlsson (Swe); F Fritsch (Ger); J Walters (RSA); N Colsaerts (Bel); S Thornton (Irl); B Ritthammer (Ger); J Scrivener (Aus); M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra); P Oriol (Esp); S Manley (Wal); J Knutzon (USA); S Straka (am) (Aut);
71 S Hansen (Den); A Pavlov (Rus); V Riu (Fra); A Ahokas (Fin); J Hahn (USA); R Rock (Eng); D Horsey (Eng); D Gaunt (Eng); A Wall (Eng); R Bland (Eng); D Woltman (USA); D Coupland (Eng); C Paisley (Eng); P Edberg (Swe);
A McArthur (Sco); F Praegant (Aut); L Jensen (Den); A Bernadet (Fra);
72
M Jonzon (Swe); R Karlberg (Swe);
S Jamieson (Sco); S Brown (Eng); C Lloyd (Eng); R Santos (Por); T Pilkadaris (Aus); M Ovesen (Den); E De La Riva (Esp); R Gonzalez (Arg); R McEvoy (Eng); M Schneider (Ger); J Lara (Esp); A Pavan (Ita); S Fallon (Eng); C Pigem (Esp); M Lundberg (Swe); R Paratore (Ita); L Tintera (Cze);
73 K Ferrie (Eng); J Campillo (Esp); A Velasco (Esp); J Lagergren (Swe); S Griffiths (Eng); W Harrold (Eng); M Ford (Eng); A Hortal (Esp); M Lampert (Ger); P Price (Wal); M Hoey (Nir); J Lando Casanova (Fra); M Crespi (Ita); R Finch (Eng); T Hatton (Eng); A Tadini (Ita); B Hebert (Fra); J Kruger (RSA); L Nemecz (Aut); R Kakko (Fin); A Marshall (Eng); J Garcia Pinto (Esp); S Khan (Eng);
74 K Phelan (Irl); D Im (USA); J Roos (RSA); G Storm (Eng); J Maurer (Aut); T Levet (Fra);
R Ramsay (Sco); J Huldahl (Den); P Maddy (Eng); B Reiter (Aut); S Hutsby (Eng); S Wakefield (Eng); M Nixon (Eng); S Kim (USA); M Habeler (am) (Aut); M Ludwig (am) (Aut);
75 D Brooks (Eng); M Tullo (Chi); D Dixon (Eng); R Wattel (Fra); I Garrido (Esp); R Coles (Eng); A Korinek (Cze); E Espana (Fra); M Manassero (Ita); L De Jager (RSA); T Murray (Eng); C Pelzmann (am) (Aut);
76 J Blaauw (RSA); B Evans (Eng); P Archer (Eng); G Maybin (Nir); S Webster (Eng);
77 D McGrane (Irl); B Weilguni (Aut); J Barnes (Eng);
C Doak (Sco); A Klescz (am) (Aut);
78 D Stewart (Sco); T Baltl (am) (Aut);
79 B Wiesberger (Aut); S Soderberg (Swe); B Virto Astudillo (Esp); P Dedek (am) (Cze);
80 N Geyger (Chi); R Gruber (Aut);
81 P Tate (Eng); F Young (Eng); Z Bauchou (am) (USA);
85 L Astl (Aut);
RTD ** O Fisher (Eng); J Palmer (Eng)
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONSLabels: EUROPEAN TOUR
