Eagles give Padraig Harrington share of lead

Two late eagles saw Padraig Harrington claim a share of the lead at the Iskander Johor Open on eight-under-par 64 following the first round at Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club.

Having collected five birdies and one bogey over the preceding 15 holes, Harrington eagled the 16th and 18th to join Australian Marcus Both and Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat at the top of the leaderboard in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

"It was nice to finish eagle, par, eagle. That's a rare thing to do. It certainly bumped up my score," said the Irishman. "It's a long way to go yet. You can always lose it on a Thursday but in regards to winning it, there's a lot of work to be done.

"It was a tough day with the wind. I got the breaks and holed a few putts. If you're going to shoot a 64, you've got to hole a few putts. I certainly holed two nice ones on 16 and 18 and holed three 15 footers as well."

Both fired eight birdies in his blemish-free round, while Kiradech recorded an eagle, seven birdies and just one bogey. "I've been playing better than my scores suggest," said Both.

"It was just a matter of time that I turned the corner and it's been frustrating. But today is only one day. The putter, which has been letting me down and wasting shots, feels much better."

The trio lead Korean pair Noh Seung-yul and Lee Sung by two strokes with a group of six players three shots off the pace on five-under.

Triumphant Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie is tied for 24th on two under par following a round of 70.