October 15, 2015: Jeev Milkha Singh made a positive start to his campaign at the Portugal Masters with an efficient 69 in the first round. The 43 year old started with a bogey early in his round but recovered later to post a score of 2-under 69. Nicolas Colsaerts set the early pace on day one of the Portugal Masters for the second year running as he made the most of his big hitting to post an opening 64 at Oceånico Victoria Golf Club.
Jeev made a bogey at the par-4 third hole to slip into over par territory early in his round. Playing with confidence he shot three straight birdies from the ninth hole to end the first day at T35, five off the pace. (Latest Golf News)
The Belgian had a putt for a 59 in his opening round here last year and looked like he was setting a similar pace again as he made the turn in 30, but he could only pick up one more shot on the way in to lead countryman Thomas Pieters by a single stroke.
Colsaerts picked up five shots on the par fives, including a pair of eagles, and held a three-shot lead at one point but a lone bogey on the seventh allowed the pack to close in with 13 players within three shots of his lead.
He got off to a flying start from the tenth – after fog had delayed the beginning of play by 55 minutes – picking up shots on the 11th, 12th, 13th and 15th before an eagle on the 17th catapulted him to six under.
Five pars then slowed his momentum but a deft chip in from the edge of the fifth green handed him another eagle, and a commanding lead, before that dropped shot on the seventh provided the only blemish on his card.
Pieters has been in superb form of late, claiming back-to-back wins at the D+D REAL Czech Masters and the KLM Open, and he also made a fast start with birdies at the 10th and 12th before further gains at the 17th and 18th saw him turn in 32.
More birdies followed on the third and fifth and when he picked up a shot on the eighth, he was in a tie at the top of the leaderboard. But he dropped his only shot of the day on the ninth to drop back to six under, a shot clear of Kristoffer Broberg, Jorge Campillo, Johan Carlsson and Trevor Fisher Jnr.
Fisher Jnr had set the early pace in the first group out, picking up three birdies in his first four holes, and made another at the eighth to turn in 31. He then dropped a shot on the 11th but birdies on the 14th and 18th moved him back up the leaderboard.
Broberg made three birdies in a row from the fourth but also dropped a shot on the 11th before three gains in his last four holes saw him sign for a 66.
Carlsson also made a strong finish as he recorded 10 consecutive pars following a birdie on the first but then registered four gains in his final seven holes.
Campillo made seven birdies and two bogeys in his 66 and David Drysdale was also five under with three holes to play.
Fellow Scot Stephen Gallacher was a further shot back with five birdies and a single bogey and he was sat alongside Ross Fisher and three men who are fighting to keep their cards this week.
Adrian Otaegui is currently 118th in the Race to Dubai and looking to move into that top 110 while Scott Jamieson and Chris Paisley are 105th and 110th respectively.
In-form Søren Kjeldsen then led the group at three under par alongside Paul Dunne, who continued his impressive start to life on the European Tour in just his third start, and Anders Hansen, who is at the other end of the spectrum in his final event.
At the time of this report, Thomas Aiken had caught up with Colsaerts with five holes to play.
