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SINGAPORE -- Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand made nine birdies in a blemish-free round of 9-under 63 to take the first-round lead at The Championship at Laguna National on Thursday. Doug Gilmour Blues Jersey . Panuphol, ranked just 451st in the world, was a stroke ahead of a group of four golfers in second -- Scott Jamieson, David Lipsky, Kim Byung-jun and local favourite Quincy Quek. The tournament, a co-sanctioned European and Asian tour event formerly called the Ballantines Championship, was moved from South Korea to Singapore just three weeks ago after it lost its title sponsor and the promoter failed to reach an agreement with a suitable golf venue. Defending champion Brett Rumford of Australia was in joint-64th place after a 70, level with Frances Alexander Levy, who won his maiden European Tour title Sunday at the China Open. The 21-year-old Panuphol earned his best European Tour result late last year when he finished tied for 18th at the Hong Kong Open. But hes missed his last three cuts on the Asian Tour. "I didnt see it coming but it did come," he said of his 63 on Thursday. "Im feeling good about my game right now. I was just trying to hit straight out there. I managed to hole a lot of putts and a lot of them were unexpected." Jamieson, who won his first European Tour title last year at the Nelson Mandela Championship in South Africa, also had nine birdies in his round, including a difficult chip shot from the bunker on the par-3 No. 17, his eighth hole. He had one bogey on the par-4 16th. "Ive been hitting the ball well the last couple of weeks, so it was nice to get a round where it all came together," he said. "There was just the one mistake with the three-putt on 16, but it was pretty far away and pace putting is always difficult in Asia with the grain. Its not what someone from Scotland is used to." Panuphols countryman, Arnond Vongvanij, was in a share of the lead at 9 under until taking a double bogey on No. 8, his 17th hole, to fall back to a share of sixth place on 65. Spains Rafa Cabrera-Bello, who has three top-10 finishes this year, was another shot back in a group at 6 under. Laguna National hosted the Singapore Masters from 2002-07 and the Singapore Open from 2009-12. David Backes Jersey . Johnson spent the last five seasons with Pittsburgh after being taken in the seventh round of the 2009 draft. He played in 52 games with 26 starts, totalling 22 catches for 216 yards and a touchdown. Patrik Berglund Jersey . Showing more spark after not taking enough challenging shots on goal in their 1-0 loss Friday night, the Bruins had 18 shots in the first period after managing just 25 in the entire opener. Luke Glendening cut Bostons lead to 2-1 at 13:20 of the second period before Milan Lucic scored late in the second and Zdeno Chara added a power-play goal early in the third. PHILADELPHIA -- Nikolaj Ehlers is a two-sport star who credits his time on the soccer pitch with helping his game on the ice. Ehlers, who played for Denmarks national team until he was 14 before concentrating on hockey, was selected by the Winnipeg Jets with the ninth overall pick in the NHL draft on Friday night. The five-foot-10, 176-pounder was fourth in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 104 points (49-55) in 63 games with the Halifax Mooseheads this past season. He feels that his soccer skills have helped him develop more speed on the ice, one of the key elements of his game. "I think Im a fast forward," he said. "I think I have a lot of speed I can use on the wing. I like to set up some nice plays and I like to score some goals." Ehlers was the first player from the QMJHL to be selected in the 2014 draft. The 18-year-old took the leagues rookie of the year and offensive rookie of the year honours. Ehlers also had 28 points (11-17) in 16 post-season games for the Mooseheads. "I found myself becoming more of a fan when I watched him play," said Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. "Any time he got the puck, you felt like something was going to happen. "Hes not the biggest guy when it comes to sizze, but he plays with such good hockey sense that he knows when to take an opportunity to go, and not really put himself in harms way to try to make a play. Patrik Berglund Blues Jersey. " Ehlers speed helps compensate for his relatively slight build. "He doesnt have a lot of weight on him so youre going to want him to continue to grow, but hes a pretty strong player," said Cheveldayoff. "The way he plays the game and the way he moves out there, he has some hidden strength that a lot of players maybe his size dont." Ehlers said he planned to hit the gym over the summer. "Obviously, Ive got to get a little bit bigger and stronger," he said. "I can use my speed to get out of the rough time on the ice, but Im not afraid to get hit or hit somebody." Cheveldayoff said the youngster is a well-rounded individual. "His hockey sense is right up there," he said. "And his characters not far behind. This is a player that every time we had an opportunity to meet with him, we didnt want the interview to end. Hes going to be an exciting player for a long time." Ehlers father, Heinz, was drafted 30 years ago by the New York Rangers (No. 188 overall). He spent his 16-season pro career in Europe. ' ' ' |
