JOHOR BAHRU, November 17, 2011 (AFP) - Joost Luiten of the Netherlands continued his rich of form by shooting a scintillating eight-under-par 63 to take the clubhouse lead in the first round of the Iskandar Johor Open Thursday.
Luiten, who finished in tied fifth in Singapore last week, birdied the last hole for a one-shot lead over title holder and three-time Major champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland, Australian Marcus Fraser and Frenchman Gregory Bourdy at the Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club.
South Korea's Charlie Wi, a seven-time winner in the region, led the Asian charge with a 66 to share fifth place with James Morrison of England and Nicolas Meitinger of Germany at the $2 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.
The first round was called off after lightning stopped play. No players from the afternoon session finished their round, meaning 78 players will return Friday morning to resume play.
Luiten, who started on the 10th tee, peppered the flags with accurate approach shots and was rewarded with four straight birdies starting from the 15th hole.
"Yeah, that really got me going. Most of the putts were from only around three metres, so I was putting it pretty close. My longest putt was on my last hole, from around five metres. So that was a great way to finish," said Luiten, who is seeking his first European Tour title.
"I made some nice putts, and hopefully that can continue in the next few days," said the 25-year-old.
Harrington ignited his title defence with a superb 40 feet chip-in eagle on the 13th hole before adding six more birdies against one bogey.
"That was the kick-start I needed. I'd given myself a few chances early on, but didn't hole the putts.
"So in the back of your mind you start to think that it might be one of those rounds which gets away from you, even though I'd struck the ball quite nicely. But then when I holed that chip, I started thinking that it might go my way after all," said Harrington.
"I left a few shots out there, but I'm still very happy with the score," said Harrington, who played with Wi and Taiwan's Lu Wei-chih.
Fraser, winner of the 2010 Ballantine's Championship in Korea, renewed his love for Asia in a flawless round highlighted by an eagle three on the 18th hole which he sank from 15 feet.
Wi, a regular on the PGA Tour, birdied the opening hole before dropping two shots in the next two. He recovered with four straight birdies from the 13th hole but the highlight came when he holed out from the green side bunker on the second hole from 15 yards.
Scores after the first round of the Iskandar Johor Open at the par 71 Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club course (a- denotes amateur):
63 - Joost Luiten (NED)
64 - Padraig Harrington (IRL), Marcus Fraser (AUS), Gregory Bourdy (FRA)
66 - Charlie Wi (KOR), James Morrison (ENG), Nicolas Meitinger (GER)
67 - Lu Wei-chih (TPE), Jose Manuel Lara (ESP), Henrik Stenson (SWE)
68 - Anthony Kim (USA), Fredrik Andersson Hed (SWE), Stephen Gallacher (SCO), Richie Ramsay (SCO), Chinnarat Phadungsil (THA), Joonas Granberg (FIN)
69 - Guido Van der Valk (NED), Thongchai Jaidee (THA), Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Adam Blyth (AUS), Thaworn Wiratchant (THA), Michael Hoey (NIR), Danny Willett (ENG), Ignacio Garrido (ESP), Jyoti Randhawa (IND), Rahil Gangjee (IND), Kwanchai Tannin (THA), Jamie Donaldson (WAL), Scott Barr (AUS)
70 - Anthony Wall (ENG)
71 - Scott Strange (AUS), David Gleeson (AUS), Adilson Da Silva (BRA), Tony Carolan (AUS), Jason Knutzon (USA), David Howell (ENG), Ben Leong (MAS), Alejandro Canizares (ESP), Miles Tunnicliff (ENG), Thitiphun Chuayprakong (THA)
Note: 78 players to resume round one Friday after lightning stopped play.