Thursday 25 February 2016 07:16, UK
England's Luke Donald leads the Honda Classic by one stroke at six-under-par after the opening round.
England's Luke Donald leads the Honda Classic by one stroke at six-under-par after the opening round.
Donald, who last won at this tournament two years ago, came home in just 31 strokes for a round of 64.
Successive birdies at the third and fourth allowed the Hertfordshire golfer to reach the turn at two-under.
He then picked up further strokes at the 10th, 13th, 15th and 18th during a bogey-free 18 holes.
"I really played pretty consistently throughout the day - I did a lot of good things around the greens and when I had my chances I took them," said Donald.
"I need to improve my driving, though. I probably hit only half the fairways.
"The rough is a little bit thinner than it was last year. It's still thickish in places, but also the course is playing a bit softer than it was last year, so you can be aggressive at some pins."
Donald's fellow Englishman Brian Davis is alone in second place, one behind at five-under.
Australia's Matt Jones is in third at four-under, while Ernie Els is part of a five-man group one further back.
His round of 67 was a welcome boost for Els, who was beaten in the first round of last week's WGC Matchplay in Arizona.
"I was a little nervy this morning to force myself to get off to a good start and I've had that now, so I can start building on that," said the South African.
"I'm really pleased with the way things turned out. I felt pretty comfortable out there."