Benn Barham holds a one shot lead on 7 under par after a first round 65 at the lightening interrupted Caltex Masters in Singapore. Barham carded nine birdies and a double bogey on his first ever round at Laguna National, just one shot outside the course record. The 26-year-old from England only had time to walk the course, which features water on 11 of the 18 holes, after arriving in Singapore late on Tuesday.
A visit to one of the water hazards on the 13th, his fourth hole, cost him his only dropped shots of the day, but the nine birdies, six of them in an inward half of 30, gave him a one-shot lead of former Ryder Cup player Paul Broadhurst.
Tournament favourite Ernie Els, as short as 7/4 to win his fourth tournament in a row, made a good start to his round with a birdie at the first followed by two pars.
Els also birdied the par three fifth hole but immediately gave the shot back on the next to fall back to one under. Out in 35, the Open champion then picked up birdies at the 11th and 12th before moving to five under just two shots off the lead.
Of the Irish, Peter Lawrie lies on level-par after 15, while Gary Murphy was 2-under after 15 before lightening stopped play.
Filed by Johnny Proby
