March 15 (Reuters) – Italian teenager Matteo Manassero
equalled the course record with a blistering eight-under-par 64
to storm into the lead after the opening round of the Andalucia
Open on Thursday.
Now 18, Manassero was just 17 years and 188 days old when he
won by four strokes at the Castello Masters in Spain in October
2010 to become the youngest champion on the European Tour.
The world number 63 returned nine birdies and a solitary
bogey at the Aloha Golf Club in Marbella to open a three-stroke
advantage over South African Hennie Otto, Spaniard Eduardo de la
Riva, Britons Anthony Wall and Lloyd Kennedy and Swede Niclas
Fasth.
A group of six, including former U.S. Masters winner Mike
Weir of Canada, were a stroke further back on four under while
tournament host Miguel Angel Jimenez and Abu Dhabi champion
Robert Rock of Britain were among several players on 69.
“This is quite similar to Castellon – a little bit more
hilly maybe,” said Manassero who has two tour wins under his
belt and is bidding to climb into the top-50 in time for next
month’s U.S. Masters.
“You need to put the ball in play and then do well around
the greens,” he told the tour’s website (www.europeantour.com).
“It’s a course that suits me pretty well.”
(Writing by Iain Rogers in Madrid, editing by Tony Jimenez)
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