ANDALUCIA, Spain, March 15, 2012 (AFP) - Italian teenager Matteo Manassero carded an eight-under-par 64 to equal the course record and claim a three-shot lead in the opening round of the Andalucia Open on Thursday.
The 18-year-old had nine birdies and just one bogey to carve out a convincing lead over a group of five players on five under -- Sweden's Niclas Fasth, South Africa's Hennie Otto, Spain's Eduardo de la Riva and English duo Lloyd Kennedy and Anthony Wall.
Manassero enjoys the Spanish conditions -- in 2010, he became the youngest ever winner on the European Tour when he triumphed in Castellon.
"You need to put the ball in play and then do well around the greens. It's a course that suits me pretty well," said Manassero, who still has an outside chance of making the Masters next month.
Manassero, who also captured the 2011 European Tour event in Malaysia, played the Masters in 2010 after qualifying as British amateur champion.
"This is a course that suits me and hopefully it will be my week," added the Italian.
"It's my first time at Aloha. This course suits my game because it's not long, and I don't need to hit 300 yards to reach the par fives. You need accurate shots and a good strategy, and I enjoy this type of course.
"The key today was my putting. I made a couple of 20-footers and placed the ball on the right spots."
Former Masters champion Mike Weir opened with a 68, while Abu Dhabi winner Robert Rock and tournament host Miguel Angel Jimenez returned 69s playing with Manassero.
Leading and selected first round scores at the Andalucia Open at the Aloha GC, Andalucia, Spain on Thursday (GBR/IRL unless stated, par 72):
64 - Matteo Manassero (ITA)
67 - Anthony Wall, Hennie Otto (RSA), Niclas Fasth (SWE), Eduardo De La Riva (ESP), Lloyd Kennedy
68 - Alex Haindl (RSA), Mike Weir (CAN), Tommy Fleetwood, Joakim Lagergren (SWE), Julien Quesne (FRA), Pablo Larrazabal (ESP)
69 - Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (FRA), Robert Jan Derksen (NED), Damien McGrane, Marcel Siem (GER), Phillip Price, Jaco Van Zyl (RSA), Darren Fichardt (RSA), Robert Rock, Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP), Ignacio Garrido (ESP), Mark Foster, Marcus Fraser (AUS), Michael Hoey
70 - David Horsey, Javi Colomo (ESP), Andrew Dodt (AUS), David Lynn, Raphael Jacquelin (FRA), Ignacio Elvira Mijares (ESP), Simon Khan, Graeme Storm, Gary Boyd, Jordi Garcia (ESP), Andrea Pavan (ITA), Alejandro Canizares (ESP), Santiago Luna (ESP), Gregory Bourdy (FRA), Pedro Oriol (ESP), Fredrik Andersson Hed (SWE)
Selected:
71 - Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (IND), Brett Rumford (AUS)
72 - Jeev Milkha Singh (IND)
73 - Warren Abery (RSA), Colin Montgomerie, Keith Horne (RSA), Richard Sterne (RSA)
74 - James Kingston (RSA)
75 - Michael Campbell (NZL), Matthew Zions (AUS), Jbe Kruger (RSA)