Charl Schwartzel’s reign as Masters Champion may have ended on Sunday, but the South African was pushing to land the Maybank Malaysian Open title when play began in Kuala Lumpur.
The 27 year old had five birdies and a bogey in his first 11 holes at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club to race to four under par and an early share of the lead alongside India’s Jeev Milkha Singh and Spaniards Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Pablo Larrazábal.
Schwartzel’s display was all the more impressive given the 30-hour journey he had made from Augusta National since presenting Bubba Watson with the Green Jacket.
Omega Dubai Desert Classic winner Cabrera-Bello was bogey-free through 12 holes, birdieing both par fives in an outward 33 and picking up further shots at the 14th and third.
The leading quartet all started their rounds on the back nine and BMW International Open champion Larrazábal birdied the 12th, 14th, 16th and 18th in an outward 32.
That was matched by India’s Singh, who began the day with an eagle at the long tenth, before bogeying the next and adding three birdies.
Dane Søren Kjeldsen, Antonio Lascuna of The Philippines and Scot Stephen Gallacher were all one back, while Schwartzel’s compatriot and playing partner Louis Oosthuizen was an impressive two under through 11 given his play-off heartache on Sunday night.
