DENIS BARNETT , Sun City | Thursday 9.00pm.
ZIMBABWEAN Nick Price, chasing his third million dollar prize here, mastered the blustery conditions to lead the Million Dollar challenge in Sun City by two shots overnight.
Price’s first round 67 took him clear of the chasing pack of Mark O’Meara, Justin Leonard, and Bernhard Langer — all on three under.
Leonard picked up four birdies over the last nine to charge up the leaderboard despite a capricious wind.
South African Ernie Els made a blistering start, racing to four-under after nine holes in front of an appreciative home crowd, but then let a two-shot lead slip with a mistake-riddled back nine.
Colin Montgomerie dropped a shot on the 18th and ended the day at one-under, ahead of a quartet of David Duval, Tom Watson, Lee Westwood and Tiger Woods — the pre-tournament favourite — on level par.
Englishman Westwood, making his first appearance at the Million Dollar, almost matched Els’ start, hitting two birdies in the first three holes, but then bogeyed the fifth and sixth and ended the day at level par.
Jesper Parnevik, three under after the first nine, had a disastrous run-in. He dropped a shot on the fifteenth, another on the 17th, before a double-bogey on the 18th saw him finish the day on two-over.
Jim Furyk, finding the going tough in his first Million Dollar event, dropped two shots over the first six holes, and never really recovered, finishing on 75.
Price, last year’s winner, was delighted with his performance, despite the wind.
“It’s amazing, I was telling Tom Watson today that this is a gale for us here, because we normally have a light breeze here,” Price said.
“But it certainly helped on the par fives, because we had two of the par fives downwind, number nine and number 15, so that kind of evened it up a little bit,” he added.
The Zimbabwean put his success down to a new driver.
“It’s increased my launch angle by about two or three degrees and its carrying further. Up here at this altitude it hangs in the air longer. It really been an asset to me in the last three weeks,” said Price, on a roll after winning the Zimbabwean Open in Harare last Sunday.
Woods, the world number one, had an indifferent start to his first Million Dollar event, and had to settle for level par going into the club-house, having swung between two-over and two-under.
“The wind was going back and forth all day and you just had to make sure you timed it right and stayed committed to your shot,” said Woods.
But the 22-year-old is pleased with his form.
“It’s not too bad. Obviously its a little better than it was two months ago. I’m very pleased with the way I’m striking the ball, I’m starting to roll the ball again and it feels like I’m starting to make progress. It feels pretty good.”
And playing for a million dollar prize?
“It doesn’t hurt. I don’t care what tournament you’re playing in. For me, I never really think about the money. I always try to get the victory. Get enough victories and the money will come.”–AFP
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