Joakim Bäckström took the clubhouse lead midway through the first round of the Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship after shooting a superb seven under par round of 65 that included only the second albatross on The European Tour this season.
The Swede, who is vying to add to the Aa St Omer Open title he won in 2005, was going strong at two under par when he approached the 561 yard 15th – he started his first round on the back nine – but then things got much better.
His drive at the par five hole landed 233 yards from the pin, prompting him to use a four iron to cover the remaining the ground. The resultant shot, which made its way into the hole to leave him five under par after six holes, ensured he became the second man after Steven Jeffress at the Michael Hill New Zealand Open in November to fire an albatross this season.
A dropped shot on the18th was cancelled out by a birdie at the second and Bäckström completed the par three fourth in two to pick up another shot, only to drop back again with a six at the par five fifth.
Back-to-back birdies at seven and eight ensured the Swede entered the clubhouse with the lead, but he faces stiff competition.
South Africa’s Darren Fichardt is second after compiling a round of 66 to sit just one shot off the lead.
Fichardt started strongly, picking up strokes on the first, second and third holes, before birdies at the fifth and seventh took him to the turn in 31. A bogey at the tenth slowed his momentum, but he gained a stroke at the 15th and then shot a four at 17 to ensure he birdied all four of the par five holes on the course.
He said: “I felt good on the range this morning and I got off to a great start with a birdie on the first. Then I birdied the next from the bunker and then birdied the third hole and at that stage I didn’t think I was going to make a par. It started to slow down a bit after the seventh and I made a poor bogey on the tenth but picked up another two shots after that.
“I thought it should have been nine under through nine today. But you have to take it when you can get it.”
Six players are tied for a share of third place, with Sion E Bebb, Luis Claverie, François Delamontagne, Garry Houston, José Manuel Lara and Carl Suneson all going round in 67.
Bebb birdied the opening two holes and gained a stroke at the par five fifth before bogeying the eighth. But three birdies in four holes on the back nine put the Welshman well in contention.
Spain’s Claverie birdied five of the back nine without dropping a shot to move up the leaderboard, while Delamontagne shot a bogey-free round.
Spaniard Lara picked a shot up at the two par fives on the front nine - the second and fifth - but dropped a shot at the ninth. A birdie at ten was cancelled out at 13 before Lara strung together birdies at 14, 15, 17 and 18, his strong finish keeping him in touch with the leaders.
Another Spaniard going well was Suneson who birdied all four par fives on his way to a round of 67.
Elsewhere, John Daly battled the pain of an injured hand to shoot two under par, while Per-Ulrik Johansson, the defending champion, is currently two under after four holes.
Daly admitted the going was tough, but he expects scoring to be low. He said: “It’s a great tournament and it’s great to see Russia getting into golf. The golf course here is wonderful and the players are treated really well here. The scoring is going to be low because the course is in such good shape.
“I love the fact that you have the option of hitting a lot of drivers or irons off the tee. That’s why I like The European Tour, they have more traditional courses where you can hit what club you want off the tees on the par fours or fives. There is a great risk/reward element to this course.”
The American hopes to go lower in the coming rounds. He added: “I struggled a little bit but managed to get it to two under. I had some bad shots and some decent ones and then made a few putts coming down the stretch so I am not too disappointed. It’s probably the best that I could have got considering how badly I hit it at times. But I hope to get it better – we’ll come back tomorrow and see what happens.”
