Edoardo Molinari opened with a 66 at Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort and will enter Friday’s round two of the Made in Denmark with a share of the lead, alongside Spaniard Alejandro Canizares, and a trio of Englishmen in Tom Murray, Matthew Southgate and Paul Waring.
The 38-year old Italian got his first day in Denmark off to a fantastic start with eight birdies over his first 14 holes, but strong winds made scoring difficult down the stretch, as Molinari finished bogey-bogey-par-par en route to a 5-under 66, and a share of the day-one marquee position.
“I had a good round of golf today,” said Molinari, who owns three career European Tour titles. “It was quite windy, I hit the ball very solid. I made a few putts on my front nine, missed a couple of putts coming in when it was very windy.
“Overall it’s been a good day. I wasn’t trying to make that many birdies, it was so windy I was just trying to hit greens and give myself good looks at birdies.”
Defending champion Matt Wallace headlined a six-player logjam at 4-under par. The Englishman, who posted a T3 at the PGA Championship, finished his first day in Farso with five birdies against one bogey.
One further back were 18 more players deadlocked at 3-under par, including Frenchman Victor Dubuisson.
Made in Denmark
Leaderboard: The Top 5
1. Edoardo Molinari -5 (66)
1. Alejandro Canizares -5 (66)
1. Matthew Southgate -5 (66)
1. Paul Waring -5 (66)
1. Tom Murray -5 (66)
6. Matt Wallace -4 (67)
6. Benjamin Herbert -4 (67)
6. Robert MacIntyre -4 (67)
6. Pelle Edberg -4 (67)
6. Joakim Lagergren -4 (67)
6. John Caitlin -4 (67)
Shot of the Day
Native son Martin Simonsen made an ace on the par-3 16th hole at Himmerland Hill. The Dane holed it from 96 yards using a 54-degree wedge. With the hole-in-one, Simonsen won a golf cart from Garia Luxury Golf Carts for himself and his caddie.
