MUNICH – Ryder Cup vice-captain Eduardo Molinari was in a three-way tie for the club’s top spot after the first round of the BMW International Open was suspended for the day due to a lightning threat.
The 42-year-old Italian, who last won on his European Tour in 2017, earned a 6-under 66 card on Thursday to finish level on the day with Rikuya Hoshino and Adrian Sadir.
Starting on the 10th hole, Molinari started with a bogey but quickly gained momentum and then caught back-to-back birdies on the par 4-6.
“I think it’s a very good opening round,” Molinari said. “A little disappointed, to be honest, because I think I hit the ball really nicely today from the tee to the green, but today’s situation wasn’t good at all, but you can’t complain too much with 6-under, so I’ll take it and we’ll move on and try to improve.” .
Molinari is one of the vice-captains of Team Europe in the Ryder Cup, which starts at Marco Simone’s club outside Rome on September 29.
Romain Langasque and Maximilian Kieffer were among six players who took the lead by one stroke.
Play was suspended prior to 7pm local time with 27 players still in the tournament. Among them was Daan Huizing, who was five years old while he was still eighteenth.