Paul Waring produced an eagle-birdie finish on day one of the Cazoo Classic to tie the course record at Hillside Golf Club and open up a two-shot lead.
After carding seven birdies and a single bogey in his first 16 holes to join the large group on six under at the top of the leaderboard, Waring holed his bunker shot at the par-five 17th for a tremendous eagle to hit the front on his own.
And he followed that up with a closing birdie putt from 13 feet to sign for a 63, matching the course record set by Matthew Jordan in 2019.
Waring’s nine-under-par total saw him lead by two from nearest challenger Garrick Porteous, with Jens Dantorp, Julien Guerrier, Grant Forrest and Richard Mansell another shot back on six under.
South Africans Oliver Bekker and Darren Fichardt are both on four under (T10).
Waring, who is looking for a second DP World Tour title having won his first at the 2018 Nordea Masters, picked up birdies at the 2nd, 4th and 5th before dropping his only shot of the day on the 6th.
The 37-year-old bounced back with a 20-foot birdie putt at the 8th before further gains at the 11th, 13th and 15th earned him a share of the lead on six under.
After missing the green with his approach into the 17th and ending up in a bunker, Waring produced a shot-of-the-day contender, holing his tricky effort from the sand for an unlikely eagle moments after playing partner Eddie Pepperell had just secured a sensational hole-out eagle of his own.
Moments later in the same group…@PaulWaringGolf makes eagle 🤯 #CazooClassic pic.twitter.com/pIZYG0zF8o
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 21, 2022
A closing birdie followed for Waring as he ensured he finished the first round with the solo lead.
– Report from DP World Tour website
