Alejandro Canizares sprinkled ten birdies on his card in round one of the ISPS Handa Vic Open at 13th Beach in Australia, a 9-under-par 32-31=63 securing a two-shot lead over home quartet Jake McLeod, Travis Smyth, Matthew Griffin and Justin Warren.
The World No. 781 played the easier Creek Course today and immediately set about cashing in with birdies at four of his five five holes (10, 12, 13 and 14). He responded to a lone bogey at 16 with birdie at 17 before adding red numbers at 17, 1 and 3. The wind picked up late but the Spaniard kicked on again with a trio of closing par breakers at 7, 8 and 9. “It was a great round,” he said. “I putted really well, I hit the ball well as well, I don’t think I missed many greens. It was one of those days where you saw the hole pretty big. I didn’t have many expectations because it’s a long way from home so you don’t know how you’re going to feel but I was hitting the ball well, I’m working on the right things.” This is his sixth R1 lead on the European Tour. The second also came in Australia when he finished third at the Perth International while he converted from this position in the 2014 Trophee Hassan II, one of his two European Tour victories.