Jones takes two-stroke lead at golf's Taiheiyo Masters

Japan (Agence France-Presse): Brendan Jones shot a seven-under-par 65 to take a two-stroke lead in the first round of the ¥150 million (US$1.25 million) Tai- heiyo Masters golf tourna- ment on Thursday.

Fresh from winning his first title on the Japan tour at the Philip Morris championship earlier this month, the Aus- tralian sank eight birdies against one bogey.

Hidemichi Tanaka hit a bogey free five birdies to take of fellow Japanese Takashi Kanemoto on 68.

Aaron Baddeley of Aus- tralia, the winner of the 1999 Australian Open as an ama- teur and 2000 as a profession- al, tied with Japan's Taichi Teshima,Tsuneyuki Nakajima and Shingo Katayama on 69.

Justin Rose, who captured his first career title at the Dunhill championship and then added three more this season, shot a 70 to be tied with four others, including American Charles Howell III.

Last year's Scotland PGA champion Paul Casey of Eng- land was bunched with 11 golfers on 72, while defending champion Toshimitsu Izawa was on 71.

The Taiheiyo Masters at the 7,246-yard Taiheiyo Club Gotemba course in central Japan is one of the three rich- est tournaments on the Japan tour, carrying a winner's check of 30 million yen.

In Dongguan, China, mean- while, South Korea's Ted Oh upstaged Colin Montgomerie and John Daly to take an early clubhouse lead at the TCL Classic here Thursday with a five-under-par 67.

Oh, who shot to prominence as the youngest player to qualify for the US Open as a 16-year-old in 1993, sunk five birdies and no bogeys as he attempts to halt a miserable slide in form this season.

Last season's Davidoff Tour rookie of the year said his game had benefited from hard work in recent months.

"Last year was so easy and I didn't miss any cuts. So I guess I didn't work as hard as I did," he said.

"But the last few months, I have started working really hard and played really well in the last few events," added Oh, who languishes well down the order of merit this season after finishing 17th last year.

Montgomerie, fresh from his shared victory in the Volvo Masters last weekend, took advantage of benign condi- tions to rattle in four birdies and two bogeys to join Daly in the clubhouse with a two- under 70.

Starting on the 10th hole, Monty opened with two early birdies to move to two-under but dropped a shot when his pushed three-iron plunged into a bunker guarding the right side of the green on the 13th and he failed to get up and down.

His best shot of the day came on the 1st hole, his 10th, when a nine-iron approach nestled a foot from the cup. Another birdie followed on the monstrous 600-yard par- five fourth to move him to three-under.

Monty was punished for his failure to capitalize on numerous other birdie opportunities from inside 15 feet when he dropped a drop an his penultimate hole.

However, the 39-year-old was pleased to have made a solid start in his first competitive round in China.

Meanwhile the big-hitting Daly produced his usual fireworks to thrill the Chinese crowds.

Duly, who picked up the clubs for the first time in more than a month after taking several weeks off to be at home with his sick mum, showed signs of runt around the greens.

But the US Tours longest hitler made up for it with some huge drives, despite keeping his newly mended driver in the bag for much of the round.

Daly, who broke his driver on Tuesday, did pull it out on the 362 yard Par-.4 17th and drew a chorus of "Ooh's " as he ripped a monster drive over water on the right side of the fairway onto the front edge of the green to set up a simple birdie.

Successive birdies on two of the final three holes kept Daly in with a shout.