SEOUL, Korea (AP) — Victor Dubuisson of France overcame tough scoring conditions to shoot a 4-under 68 and take a two-shot lead after the first-round of the Ballantine's Championship on Thursday.
Cold weather and a fierce wind made for high scores at Blackstone Golf Club, with only 17 of the 156 players in the European Tour event finishing under par.
Dubuisson had eight birdies, but did not escape the thick undergrowth lining many of the holes, making a double bogey at the fourth hole and starting his round from the 10th tee with a bogey.
He leads a group of five players at 2 under, including Paul Casey of England.
British Open champion Darren Clarke shot a 77. He has failed to finish higher than 20th in any tournament since his victory at Royal St. George's last July.
Dubuisson has yet to win in two seasons on the European Tour, but finished fourth in the China Open last weekend to pick up some momentum.
"I made a 5-meter putt to save bogey at the 10th, my first hole, and a 5-meter putt to save par at my second hole," he said. "That made all the difference because under the conditions if I had missed the putts twice I could have gone into a negative cycle.
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