Double Danish Delight As Hansen Leads In Kazakhstan
2015-09-11 23:06:31

Joachim B Hansen tied the course record with an opening round of 63 to lead the Kazakhstan Open by one shot on nine under par.

The Dane fired eight birdies and an eagle to match the low score made by his compatriot Jeppe Pape Huldahl two years ago at Nurtau GC.

Another Dane, Mads Søgaard, bogeyed the last hole to miss out on a 63 of his own and shares second place with American Sihwan Kim after round one.

Hansen currently sits in 28th position in the Road to Oman Rankings thanks largely to a run of three top ten finishes in a row in June and July, but he believes that if he can keep his putting form going he can contend through the weekend.

“I am very pleased with how I played,” said the 25 year old. “I didn’t have the best feeling when I got here to Kazakhstan, I wasn’t hitting the ball very well, but I found something good on the range yesterday and it really worked out there.
Søgaard secured the best result of his career at last month’s Made in Denmark on The European Tour, tying for sixth place. His Challenge Tour form this season has been more inconsistent, his best finish a tied 12th at his home event the Made in Denmark Challenge, but the 22 year old is taking confidence from the Danish affinity with the Kazakhstan Open.
The rest of the field sit at least five shots behind the leader, with five players on four under par and 50 players under par for their opening rounds in perfect scoring conditions.