Golf: Knowles in Winterfield wonderland

SCOTT KNOWLES, the Scotland captain, turned back the clock to make his presence felt in yesterday's rescheduled East Alliance meeting at Winterfield.

The Kingsknowe player, a former Scottish Golfer of the Year, shot a 66 over the Dunbar course to share the scratch spoils ex-Walker Cup player David Patrick (Elie).

They finished a shot ahead of Duddingston duo Tom Buchanan and James Dick, with yet another representative of the Capital club, former Lothians champion Stuart Smith, alongside Scott Grieve (Turnhouse) and Grant Skinner (Glencorse) on 68.

On a day of decent scoring, five players signed for 69s, namely Andrew Erskine (Ratho Park), David Graham (Lochend), Terry Mathieson (Kings Acre), Paul Wardell (Whitekirk) and George Wither (Lothianburn).

Knowles, playing off two, and five-handicapper Graham topped the handicap list on 64, with Skinner a shot adrift and Neil Bain (Haddington), Ian Fraser (Duddingston), Alex Kemp (Duddingston) and William Laing (Prestonfield) all two shots back.

On the European Tour, ever-improving Welsh ace Rhys Davies carded a bogey-free seven-under-par 65 today to share a one-shot lead with Spain's Ignacio Garrido midway through the first round of the Maybank Malaysian Open.

Challenge Tour graduate Davies took advantage of the scoring chances on the much-easier front nine at the newly-refurbished Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club with five birdies before picking up two further gains on the testing return trip to set an imposing first-round mark alongside Garrido.

Davies missed a makeable birdie putt at the first but soon made amends as a nine iron to two feet at the second was quickly followed by a two-putt conversion a hole later.

And, with a bonus of holing out from off the green at the fifth to complete a hat-trick of birdies, Davies was flourishing in the energy-sapping humidity.

He started the back nine with a sixth birdie of the day, but did have to wait until the 17th for his seventh and final gain to arrive to join Garrido in a share of the clubhouse lead.

"It went well, I hit a good few shots early on and had birdie chances on six of the first seven and made most of them," said the 24-year-old Davies.

KJ Choi carded a five-under-par 67 alongside Spain's Alejandro Canizares, Dane Mark Haastrup and England's Mark Foster.

Dunbar's David Drysdale shot a level-par 72, while Andrew Coltart was three over through 12.

Ross Bain was top Scot in the clubhouse on four under. Bathgate's Stephen Gallacher was among the later starters.