Colsaerts flirts with European Tour's first 59

(MENAFN- Arab News) VILAMOURA Portugal: Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts just missed out on the first ever 59 on the European Tour on Thursday when a crucial putt at the last just slipped by the hole at the Portugal Masters.

No-one in the Tour's 42-year history has ever dipped below 60 but the 31-year-old former Ryder Cup player was within a hairsbreadth at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Club.

His 20-foot birdie putt just missed the lip of the 18th as he fell short by just a single stroke.

Colsaerts had carded seven birdies and then two sensational eagles at the 15th and 17th to set up the chance for a historic putt.

He drove straight down the middle of the fairway at the last and that was followed by a short iron for what appeared to be a makeable putt.

But he just missed and had to settle for a 60 the 19th time the score has been managed on the European Tour and a three-shot first round lead.

'When I made eagle on 15 I knew then that if I birdied the last three that would have been 59' Colsaerts said.

'I hit a good drive (at the last). It's too bad it (the putt) just shaved the edge.

'I thought it was going to be slightly left to right at the end and it kind of went straight and basically just left it hanging. Too bad I thought it was a pretty good effort.'

Colsaerts completed his round shortly before play was abandoned when a torrential downpour flooded large parts of the course.

His closest challengers were Scotland's Scott Jamieson and Frenchman Alexander Levy who both carded eight-under-par 63s.

Oliver Wilson who won the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland last weekend shot a one-over-par 72 while Paul McGinley Europe's victorious Ryder Cup captain hit a four-under-par 67.

Gibson and Woltman share China Masters lead

In Beijing Australian Rhein Gibson and Daniel Woltman of the US fired four-under-par 67s Thursday to share the first round lead at the Nanshan China Masters.

A group of four were one stroke back at Nanshan International golf club including home players Li Haotong and Zhou Guowu along with Australian Adam Stephens and Nick Gillespie from New Zealand who birdied four of the first five holes but then hit a double-bogey at the sixth.

"I have spent the last five weeks at home with the wife so it was a bit hard to get going but I made a solid start" said Gibson 28 who set a world record with a 16-under-par 55 in 2012.

He played the third round of this year's Open championship with Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth after making the cut and added: "That experience has really helped my confidence."

Li only 19 could have joined the leading pair but dropped a shot on the 18th.

China's Guan Tianlang the 15-year-old amateur who made the cut in last year's US Masters was one over after carding a 72.

It is the fourth edition of the $1 million OneAsia event.

Leading scores after round 1:

67 - Rhein Gibson (AUS) Daniel Woltman (USA).

68 - Nick Gillespie (NZL) Zhou Guowu (CHN) Adam Stephens (AUS) Li Haotong (CHN).

69 - Park Chan-Hee (KOR) Xie Zhi (CHN) Michael Long (NZL) Lee Jun Seok (AUS) Hu Mu (CHN) Park Deuk-Hee (KOR) Jason Scrivener (AUS) Scott Laycock (AUS) Gareth Paddison (NZL)