Jeremy Robinson, who until last week was facing a return to the Qualifying School Finals, shot an opening 66, six under par, to share the lead with Challenge Tour graduate Johan Skold and New Zealand’s Michael Campbell.
But World number one Tiger Woods began the defence of his Johnnie Walker Classic title strongly with a four-under-par 68 to lie two strokes off the lead in what is the first ever tri-sanctioned event between the European, Australasian and Asian PGA Tours.
Robinson moved up into the top 115 in the Volvo Order of Merit when Jesper Parnevik ceased to be a Full Member of the European Tour by failing to compete in the minimum number (eleven) of European Tour Order of Merit tournaments for inclusion in the official 1999 Volvo Order of Merit.
The revised 1999 Volvo Order of Merit placed Robinson in 115th position and, instead of preparing for the Qualifying School Finals which start at San Roque Club and Club de Golf Sotogrande next week, the 33-year-old was able to compete at the Westin Resort Ta Shee, Taiwan in the knowledge that his Tour card is safe for another season. He picked up seven birdies in his round, his only dropped shot coming at the par-four 15th.
"It was a major relief," said Robinson. "This is the best round I've played since mid-July at the Dutch Open. I played well in the early part of the season but played very badly after the British Open. My driving has been giving me trouble but my short game and putting have been quite good."
Skold also earned his card for the European Tour at the last gasp, firing a final round of 66 in the First Cuba European Challenge Tour Grand Final to move into 14th in the final Challenge Tour Rankings to secure his card for 2000. The Swede was out in five under 31 and like Robinson, only made one bogey on the 15th.
Campbell had the chance to open a two shot lead on the 17th but his birdie putt slipped past the hole and then he bogeyed the last to move back into a share of the lead.
"The key to my round was my putting. I made 28 putts and only missed one green by an inch," said Campbell. "My whole year has been pretty good. I have a lot of confidence now after finishing seventh in the Volvo Masters two weeks ago."
US Ryder Cup player Jim Furyk fired a bogey-free 67, five under par, to lie a shot off the pace alongside Australians Peter Senior, twice a former winner of the event, and Nick O’Hern.
Woods bogeyed the tough par three 18th last after finding the huge bunker which guards the left side of the green to lie two shots adrift. Woods is aiming for his fifth successive title the week after capturing the WGC – American Express Championship at Valderrama last week.
"I hit the ball very well today, but was not able to get anything going on the back nine," said Woods. "I gave myself a lot of chances, but I was not able to make the putts. I burned a lot of lips but nothing went in."
Woods, 23, covered the front nine in four-under-par 32 after birdies on the third, fifth, sixth and ninth. On the inward stretch, however, the birdies dried up until he holed a 12 footer on 17th.
His only dropped shot of the day came on the 233-yard 18th, where his tee shot found a green side bunker. His ball plugged under the lip giving him practically no shot. Amazingly, however, the American splashed out to 12 feet, but narrowly missed the par putt.
"It definitely doesn't make me feel very good," said Woods, of the bogey. "I hit a great bunker shot though."
Woods beat South African Ernie Els in last year's Johnnie Walker Classic at Blue Canyon Country Club in Thailand, after a thrilling sudden-death play-off. The American came from eight strokes behind Els on the final day to force a play-off, and then triumphed with a birdie on the second extra-hole.
Last Sunday he became the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win four tournaments in a row on the US PGA Tour, after beating Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez in the WGC American Express Championship. That success followed on from victories in the Tour Championship, the National Car Rental Golf Classic, and the WGC NEC Invitational.
Els, winner of the Johnnie Walker Classic in 1997, carded a 70 while Vijay Singh of Fiji returned a 71, and England's Nick Faldo, a 72.
