Phachara one shot behind pacesetters Fraser and Wallace
>> ST ANDREWS: Phachara Khongwatmai fired a three-under-par 69 at Kingsbarns to stay one shot off the lead in the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Thursday.
The Thai was joint third with Austria’s Matthias Schwab (AUT), Ireland’s Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley, and South Korea Choi Jin-Ho.
They were one stroke behind joint leaders Marcus Fraser of Australia and England’s Matt Wallace.
Fraser came through “brutal” conditions at Carnoustie, one of the three courses used for the European Tour pro-am event.
Wallace, who failed to qualify for Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup team despite three wins this season, carded the same score on the Old Course at St Andrews.
Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton, seeking a third straight win in the tournament, was a shot further back on two-under, with the Englishman alongside reigning US Open and PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka.
Fraser, who carded five birdies at Carnoustie, the course where Italy’s Francesco Molinari won this year’s British Open, told Sky Sports: “It’s brutal out there. It’s probably the toughest wind I’ve played this course in today. It was nice to play pretty steady and hole a few putts.
“Downwind was just as hard as into the wind, it was really tricky to control it and try to get the right distances. We were out by probably 20-30 yards some times but it just can’t be helped. You get a firm bounce and it just takes off.”