Leaders capitalise on friendlier Classic

THE leaderboard after yesterday's opening round of the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters 2007 tells the whole story.

Golfers who teed off on the more generous Classic Course at Laguna National Gold and Country Club occupy the top 14 spots.

Australian Marcus Fraser and China's Liang Wenchong were tied for the lead, after both carded solid bogey-free eight-under 64s.

Said Fraser, 28: 'The fairways on the Classic Course are pretty generous. The greens are pretty good over there.

'So if you're giving yourself a chance, you're going to shoot a good score.'

Look further down and the names who teed off at Laguna's other course - the more challenging par-72, 7,207-yard Masters - pop up.

Among them, in an 18-way tie for 15th spot, was Singapore's No 1 and defending champion Mardan Mamat.

He shot the day's lowest Masters Course score of 68, along with France's Jean Van de Velde, Scot Simon Yates, India's Guarav Ghei and New Zealander Richard Lee.

The pre-event talk was that the Classic, with its shorter holes, gentler mounds and fewer water hazards, would be the easier course.

The players have decided the winning formula here is to score on the Classic and maintain that lead on the Masters.

This week's Clariden Leu Singapore Masters is the first professional event to be held on the Classic Course since the Nations Cup in 2003.

The course, usually used for corporate tournaments, club competitions and members' social games, had been employed to accommodate the record 204-strong field.

Said Liang: 'I know the Masters is going to be tough.

'I find the Classic Course a lot easier, and that is why I was a bit more aggressive.'

Japan No 1 Shingo Katayama, who shot seven-under 65, agreed.

The world No 30 was joint-third with Scotland's Barry Hume and India's Jyoti Randhawa.

Of the 102 players who played on the Masters, only 42 shot even-par or lower.

At the Classic, however, 72 of 102 players managed those scores.

Australia's Unho Park, who was tied-11th with three others on 67, noted: 'It definitely gives you more peace of mind, having played well here and then going onto the Masters.'

For Mardan, though, it did not matter.

He said: 'It was better to have started on the Masters than the Classic...'

Because the hard part is - for now - out of the way.