Warren leads in Portugal Masters as talk of 59 fades

October 21, 2016 | 14:00

(0) user say

VILAMOURA, Portugal: Marc Warren took a one-shot lead at the Portugal Masters on Thursday (Oct 20) but speculation that the European Tour could witness a round of 59 at the rough-free Victoria Clube de Golfe proved premature.

Scotish golfer Marc Warren plays a shot during the Portugal Master golf tounament. (AFP/Francisco Leong)

Scotland's Warren began with six straight birdies but a bogey on the seventh stalled his momentum before he went on to make three further gains in an eight under par 63.

"I think I've had six or seven birdies in a row but never at the start of the round," said Warren. "It's an absolutely perfect start. Everything was going right for me, just the right numbers and landing it close and a couple of tap-ins. It was a great start."

Callum Shinkwin, David Lipsky, Eddie Pepperell, Matthew Baldwin and Mikko Korhonen are all a shot back.

Defending champion Andy Sullivan was at four under alongside in-form Alex Noren.

AFP

What the stars mean:

★ Poor ★ ★ Promising ★★★ Good ★★★★ Very good ★★★★★ Exceptional