SHENZHEN, China — Louis Oosthuizen and Adam Scott both shot a 7-under 65 Thursday to share a one-shot lead after the opening round of the HSBC Champions. Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open winner, played a bogey-free round with seven birdies, while Scott finished his round with two birdies and an eagle on the par-5 ninth hole. Two-time HSBC Champions winner Phil Mickelson was in a tie for third one-shot back, along with Bubba Watson, Peter Hanson and Shane Lowry. Hanson has been one of the top golfers on the European Tour this fall, capturing the KLM Open in the Netherlands in September and the BMW Masters in Shanghai last weekend for the biggest victory of his career. He is second on the European money list, within striking distance of leader Rory McIlroy. If the Swede wins the $1.2 million paycheck at Mission Hills this weekend, he will overtake McIlroy with only four events left on the calendar. Hanson and Watson played in the same group and matched each other birdie for birdie to stay atop the leaderboard for much of the day. Mickelson was further off the pace before sinking a 25-foot putt for eagle on the same hole as Scott — the par-5 ninth — to finish off his round of 66. Lowry, meanwhile, stuttered down the stretch. After making birdies on the 15th and 16th holes to take a two-stroke lead over the field, the Irishman had bogeys on his final two holes — missing near-identical 10-foot putts — to drop him back into a tie for third. Dustin Johnson shot a 67 to sit two strokes off the lead with Thailand's Prom Meesawat. Defending champion Martin Kaymer was in a group of seven golfers tied for ninth at 4 under. Tiger blames fatigue for missing Shanghai event Tiger Woods said fatigue was the reason he skipped this week's World Golf Championship event in Shanghai. As Australian Adam Scott and South African Louis Oosthuizen grabbed the first-round lead at the event in China, the 36-year-old Woods was holding a putting clinic for school children in Singapore. The main sponsor had been unhappy Woods and world No. 1 McIlroy chose to miss the Shanghai event despite being in the country and playing in a lucrative exhibition event. Woods said he was looking forward to competing in the World Challenge in December, an invitational event he hosts in California, before putting his clubs away for a long rest. “I was tired and doing these things are easy. Competing and getting ready for another golf tournament, I just didn't want to do that,” Woods told reporters at Marina Bay after offering his expertise to 12 selected teenagers. — Agencies
