U.S. leads defending champion Germany at World Cup
The United States duo of Boo Weekley (r) and Heath Slocum (l) combined for seven birdies and two eagles in the first round.
Shenzhen, China - The United States duo of Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum combined for an 11-under 61 in the first round of the World Cup on Thursday to take a one-shot lead over defending champion Germany.
European Tour Rookie of the Year Martin Kaymer teamed with Alex Cejka to give Germany a 10-under 62 in the four-ball format. They succeeded Bernhard Langer and Marcel Siem, who won the title for Germany last year.
Bradley Dredge and Stephen Dodd, who claimed the World Cup for Wales in 2005, led a group of six teams that were tied for third place at nine-under 63.
They were joined by pre-tournament favorites Justin Rose and Ian Poulter for England, Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren for Scotland, Retief Goosen and Trevor Immelman for South Africa, Mikko Ilonen and Pasi Purhonen for Finland and Asian Tour staples Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng for Thailand.
Only seven strokes separated all 28 teams, with longshots Puerto Rico and Colombia sharing last place at four-under 68.
Contenders Canada, Denmark, Spain and Sweden were all at least four shots off the early pace.
Competition was loose Thursday at Mission Hills Golf Club, relaxed by the four-ball format that allows each teammate to play his own ball while the low score on each hole is counted.
It will tighten up for the first round of foursomes on Friday, when just one ball per team can be played on each hole.
Weekley and Slocum combined for seven birdies and two eagles in the first round. Not bad for a pair of players who were late additions to the World Cup field.
“I was teary-eyed when I got the call to play in China, representing my country,” said Weekley. “To us it’s like the Olympics. It’s a dream for me to play in this.”
He took full advantage, too, coming up clutch time after time for his team.
“It was fun out there watching Boo play very well,” said Slocum, a longtime friend who was invited by Weekly to play this week. “I hit a few good shots, but to be honest I was cheering him a lot.”
On a day when scoring conditions were optimal, Poulter highlighted that fact with a chip-in eagle at the ninth hole and an eagle putt at the 11th.
“We knew it was going to be a bunched leaderboard in this format,” said Rose, his teammate and the reigning Order of Merit winner on the European Tour, who then looked forward to Friday’s round. “However, in foursomes the pressure is on over every shot.”
Popularity: 5% [?]
