Colsaerts takes lead with record round

Nicolas Colsaerts birdied nine of the last 11 holes to set the pace with a course record nine-under-par 64 in the first round of the Volvo Golf Champions tournament at The Links at Fancourt on Thursday.

The big-hitting Belgian jumped into a four-stroke lead in an event billed as the European Tour's first true tournament of champions.

On a hot, almost wind-free day, his nearest challengers on five-under-par 68 were South Africans Branden Grace and Thomas Aiken and young Englishman Tom Lewis.

Ireland's Padraig Harrington got to six under but drove into trouble on the par-five 18th, then three-putted for a double bogey seven to join David Horsey, Joost Luiten and Louis Oosthuizen on 69.

Colsaerts birdied all four of the par-threes and four of the par-fives.

"I can reach most of the par-fives in two so it's quite a bonus when you get to birdie the par-threes," said the man who vies with Spain's Alviro Quiros as the longest hitter on the European Tour. The only par-five he failed to birdie was the fourth where he hit a four-iron over the green.

Colsaerts got his round going with a 12-foot birdie putt at the par-three second, "pretty much the longest putt I holed all day."

Because of the challenging nature of the course he said it was probably the best round of his career. "I kept hitting the irons very, very close to the flag," he said.

Home favourite Ernie Els dropped two shots on the first three holes but a strong finish, which included birdies on the last three holes, enabled him to dip under par with a 71.

Masters champion Charl Schwartzel went out in three-over-par 39. Three birdies in a row from the 13th got him back to even par but he then bogeyed the 16th and 18th, both par fives, to limp in with a 75, one behind playing partner Darren Clarke, the British Open champion.