GOLF: Bickerton and Lee quick to impress

GOLF

John Bickerton and Daren Lee, two little-known English professionals, played some of the best golf of their careers to shoot an 11-under-par 59 to take the lead after the first-round of the Paris Pairs at Saint- Cloud.

They produced perfect teamwork with 25-year-old Bickerton, from Worcester, picking up six birdies and 30-year-old Lee, from Wanstead, five. They were only one short of the record 58 set by Peter Baker and David J Russell last year.

Seve Ballesteros and Jose-Maria Olazabal shot 63 and Colin Montgomerie and Ian Woosnam 64, both highly creditable rounds, but they were completely overshadowed by the Bickerton-Lee combination.

This is a unique tournament, with fourballs yesterday, foursomes today, greensomes tomorrow and fourballs on Sunday.

Bickerton and Lee, who started on the 10th, made excellent early progress. Lee began the fireworks with birdies at the 11th, 13th and 14th.Then Bickerton birdied the 16th, 17th, first, third and fourth and also the eighth with Lee coming in again at the sixth and ninth.

"We've never played together before though we know each other from our amateur days," Lee, who was the leading amateur at the 1992 Open, said.

Olazabal shot seven of his team's eight birdies and, not surprisingly, Ballesteros was quick to admit: "Jose-Maria was fantastic."

Richard Boxall and Derrick Cooper, recent winners of the Sunningdale Foursomes, could be strong contenders following their 62 for joint third place with Boxall holing in one at the 153-yard sixth with a seven-iron.

Scores, Sporting Digest, page 39