Strange makes the most of his luck

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SINGAPORE -- Australian Scott Strange birdied the last two holes to record a four-under-par 67 for a share of the lead with Juvic Pagnusan of the Philippines after the opening round of the $3 million Singapore Open on Thursday.

Teeing off in the morning, the 29-year-old Strange offset two dropped shots on the front nine with six birdies to post a target for the afternoon starters that only Pagnusan could match.

The 28-year-old Pagnusan, who earned his Asian Tour card this season through Qualifying School, stormed up the leaderboard with two birdies on the front and back nine in a bogey-free round.

India's Jyoti Randhawa stands alone in third place on three-under, one ahead of a group of five players that includes Argentine world number 23 Angel Cabrera, 28th-ranked Nick O'Hern of Australia and Japan's Shingo Katayama.

Defending champion and world number six Adam Scott lurks three shots back after an opening 70, one clear of South Africa's Ernie Els.

Asian Tour player Strange, who won the Philippine Open in May, holed a sand wedge from a greenside bunker on the 17th before following that up with a sublime approach shot to within five feet on the last.

"I got a bit of a bonus on the 17th hole," Strange told reporters. "The tee shot was not that good but I managed to hole the bunker shot from around 18 feet."

Making the most of fortunate breaks is something the Australian feels is vital to firing a low score on the testing par-71 Serapong Course hosting the Asian Tour's flagship event.

"You need a little bit of luck out there," he added.

"If you miss the fairway, you need a good lie or it is a case of hitting it sideways."

Cabrera, one of eight of the world's top 50 players in the field this week, was delighted with his start on a scorching day with almost no wind.

"I am really happy. Starting the tournament under par is always good," the Argentine said.

"The heat is the hardest part of playing here. I am so used to playing in Europe and it's hard to play here."

Scott struggled with his consistency all day, needing two birdies in the last three holes to move below par.

"It was tough out there with the rough, you can't miss the fairways," said Scott, who had five birdies and four bogeys in his round.

"It's not easy to get going out there but I am happy with my score. I hit a few too many bad shots and fortunately only made bogeys and not doubles."

Last year's runner-up Lee Westwood double-bogeyed the 18th on his way to a disappointing two-over 73 while fellow Ryder Cup team mate Paul McGinley fared even worse, carding five straight bogeys on his back nine to slump to a five-over-par 76.

New Zealand's Michael Campbell will be happier with his round after an inward 35 helped last year's U.S. Open champion recover to a respectable one-over 72.

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