Jakarta. Thomas Bjorn of Denmark and Chan Shih-chang of Taiwan sank seven birdies apiece for a six-under 66 and a share of the first-round lead at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters golf tournament on Thursday.

Bjorn, a 15-time European Tour winner, put himself squarely in contention for his  first Asian Tour title at the Royale Jakarta course in Halim, East Jakarta.

He made birdies on the 10th and 12th holes, but slipped up with a bogey on the  14th, before recovering with another birdie at 16.

On his back nine, the 44-year-old Dane charged the course with four consecutive birdies from holes two to five.

“I played pretty solid and I got onto a nice run on my back nine, which kind of brought the round to a really good score,” Bjorn said. “It’s a great golf course and it does suit my game pretty well. There are lots of opportunities but also lots of tough holes. It’s a nice mix there and you’ve got to focus really hard and not let your guard down.”

Playing under good weather, Chan made four birdies on the front nine, followed by another three birdies and one bogey on the back nine.

“This is my first start on the Asian Tour and also my second visit to the Royale Jakarta Golf Club. As such, I’m pretty proud of how I’ve played today,” said the 28-year-old.

“I won four times on the Asian Development Tour and am really serious about winning on the Asian Tour now.”

“I feel very comfortable on this golf course and that partly explains why I did well today. Of course, I’ve been hitting the ball and putting well too.”

Abhijit Chadha of India and Australian Park Unho were tied for third after firing five-under 67.

Two-time champion Lee Westwood of England seemed to struggle under sometimes blustery conditions, though he still managed to card a decent round with a three-under 69 to finish the day tied for seventh.

Ian Andrew led the charge of local golfers with an even par 72. He started out promisingly with three birdies, but then racked up five bogey, before closing out with two birdies on the back nine.

Local hero George Gandranata, widely expected to do well because of his familiarity with the course, had a day to forget after hitting a seven-over 79.

He got off to a poor start with three bogeys and one birdie, then carded five more bogeys on the back nine.

“It was a tough day because I struggled with the strong wind. I also didn’t play well and made late adjustments that led to this result,” George said.

He added that he also made bad judgments on several holes that cost him several chances for birdie and par on the back nine.

George said he would play aggressively today to make up lost ground.

“If I manage to get a four-under, I’ll finish the day with three-over, and I hope that will be enough to make the cut. It’s achievable,” he said.

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Source: The Jakarta Globe