Selangor: Thailand's Jazz Janewatttananond and India's Veer Ahlawat shot sparkling nine-under-par 62s to take the first-round lead in the US$1 million Malaysian Open on Thursday.
Canadian Richard T Lee fired a 63, while Malaysians Gavin Green and Khavish Varadan shot 64s at the Mines Resort and Golf Club in the Asian Tour's first event of the year.
"Really good start to the week and the year as well. A good long break seems to have done me some good. I got a lot of rest and played some golf," said seven-time Asian Tour winner Jazz.
Jazz, 28, made seven birdies yesterday and putted from the edge of the green on 11 for an eagle.
Ahlawat, still looking for his first Asian Tour win, dropped his only shot of the day on 18.
"Really solid round, I drove the ball well and hit some really good second shots. Hitting them to seven, eight feet and holing them. Just dropped that shot on 18, where I got the wind direction wrong," he said.
As preferred lies were being played, their 62s could not count as official course records, meaning American Tiger Woods' 63 at the World Cup of Golf in 1999 is still the mark.
Green, the Asian Tour No.1 in 2017, was bogey-free, with an eagle and five birdies.
"Not many big mistakes, I gave myself a lot of chances. I hit it good enough," he said.
Taiwan's Lee Chieh-po returned a 65 along with Australian Kevin Yuan, England's Steve Lewton, Filipino Justin Quiban, Korean Lion Park, John Catlin from the United States and Thai Danthai Boonma.
American Trevor Simsby, who won this event when it was last played in 2020 just before the global pandemic stopped play on the Tour, fired a 71.
Australian Wade Ormsby, a four-time winner on the Asian Tour, came in with a 69, thanks to a hole-in-one on the par-three 165-yard second hole.