Golf Digest: Appleby hits rich vein of form

US TOUR: Australia's Stuart Appleby fired a seven-under-par 63 to take the first round clubhouse lead at the Byron Nelson championship…

US TOUR: Australia's Stuart Appleby fired a seven-under-par 63 to take the first round clubhouse lead at the Byron Nelson championship yesterday, one-shot clear of Ernie Els and John Daly.

Winner of the season-opening Mercedes championships in Hawaii in January, Appleby had a near perfect start to the $5.8 million tournament, mixing eight birdies with a single bogey at the TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas in Irving, Texas to lead a field that includes the world's top five ranked players.

World number three Els, playing his first US PGA event since his poor showing at the Masters last month, was in stunning form on his return to America, carding a six-under 64.

Crowd favourite Daly was also set to sign for a flawless round until a bogey at the par four 18th resulted in his only blemish.

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World number one Tiger Woods, playing in just his second event since the capturing the Masters, has yet to find his best form, battling to a one-under 69.

Vijay Singh, winner of two of the last three PGA Tour events, opened with a two-under 68 in a rollercoaster round that included five bogeys and seven birdies.

South Africa's world number five Retief Goosen, who like Els is returning to the PGA Tour for the first time since Augusta, settled for an even par 70.

CHALLENGE TOUR: The Irish contingent made a solid start to the XX Tessali - Metaponto Open di Puglia e Basilicata yesterday, with Shandon's Michael Hoey and Limerick's Tim Rice carding two-under-par 70s on the Metaponto Club.

Each player in the field plays one round over Metaponto and Riva dei Tessali for the first two days before the final two rounds are completed at Tessali.

All five Irishmen started the tournament at Metaponto, where Norway's Jan Are Larsen took the tournament lead after an eight-under-par 64. Richard McEvoy carded a six-under 65 to lead the way at Tessali.

The remaining Irishmen in the field, Justin Kehoe, Noel Fox and Colm Moriarty posted respective scores of 71, 72 and 72 to stay in touch with the leaders.

LET TOUR: Ireland's Hazel Kavanagh and Rebecca Coakley are just three shots off the pace after the first round of the Spainish Open at Panorámica Golf and Country Club yesterday.

The Irish pair fired three-under-par 69s to trail Spaniards Carmen Alonso, Marta Prieto, Ana-Belen Sanchez and Sweden's Linda Wessberg, who each carded a course record six-under-par 66 to share the first round lead.