Ignacio Garrido and Anthony Wall shared the early pace at the Volvo Masters at Valderrama this morning as The European Tour’s season ending event got under way.
The top 60 players in The Order of Merit and defending champion Justin Rose took to the course with the last four payers out - Robert Karlsson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Miguel Angel Jiménez all in with a chance of claiming the Harry Vardon trophy.
While those chasing The Order of Merit were still preparing to start their rounds, Garrido and Wall set about setting a challenging target as both reached two under par.
The Spaniard birdied the par three third but dropped a shot at the 563 yard par five next.
Another birdie at the ninth completed an outward 34 and Garrido picked up further shots at the 11th and 13th - with a bogey in between - to be two under with five holes left to play.
England’s Wall had reached two under after ten holes thanks to birdies at the second and fifth on the front nine.
No fewer than six players were one under par out on the course, amongst them Austrian Markus Brier and France’s Thomas Levet, who claimed the last two spots in 59th and 60th on The Order of Merit.
