Bertsch breezes to front in Palm Springs

SHANE Bertsch shot a ten-under-par 62 in windy desert conditions to take the first-round lead at the 90-hole Bob Hope Classic in Palm Springs, California.

Played over five rounds of stroke play in a pro-am format with a professional partnering amateur teams of three on four different par-72 courses, the event is an annual oddity on the PGA Tour and there was some equally quirky weather on the opening day in the Coachella Valley.

As the sunshine disappeared, temperatures dropped and the wind got up, but American Bertsch posted a bogey-free, ten-birdie round at the 6,868-yard Nicklaus course at PGA West. That was enough to give Bertsch a two-stroke lead over compatriots Alex Prugh and Jeff Quinney.

Sweden's Jesper Parnevik and Norway's Henrik Bjornstad carded 68s for the lowest European rounds of the day. England's Justin Rose shot a two-under-par 70 while fellow countryman Brian Davis and Scotland's Martin Laird ended their days one over par.

Rain in California forced the postponement of the second round.