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Branden Grace equals European Tour record with opening 60 to lead at Dunhill Links Championship

Image: Branden Grace: Equalled the European Tour record with a round of 60 at Kingsbarns

South African Branden Grace set the early pace at the Dunhill Links Championship after equalling the European Tour record with a first round of 60 at Kingsbarns.

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When Westwood had his 62 at Kingsbarns in 2003 it included an albatross two on the ninth, but Grace needed nothing as extraordinary as that. "I never really made anything long," he said. "It was all 12 to 15-footers and it's nice just to have a bogey-free round on a links. "We were lucky with the weather, but you still have to get it in the right spots and get it around." His eagle came on the 565-yard 16th, his seventh, and took him to five-under, but it was on the outward half where he really went into overdrive. Grace birdied all but the second and fourth and came to the 558-yard ninth needing an eagle for the 59, but pushed his second wide before pitching to a foot. Grace switches to St Andrews on Friday, while nearest challenger Dubuisson will tackle Carnoustie. Behind the leading duo, Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen sits in third on nine-under, while Swedish duo Alex Noren and Fredrik Andersson Hed are a shot further adrift on eight-under alongside Australia's Ashley Hall.

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