Thomas Pieters and Richard T. Lee Shine in First Round of International Series England
In an unexpected turn of events at the International Series England, Belgium’s Thomas Pieters and Canada’s Richard T. Lee emerged as frontrunners after both players delivered impressive performances, each carding a remarkable seven-under-par 64 during the opening round. Their stellar play has set them atop the leaderboard at the Longcross course located within Foxhills Club & Resort in Surrey.
Trailing closely behind are notable competitors including England’s Richard Bland, Chan Shih-chang from Chinese Taipei, Thailand’s Atiruj Winaicharoenchai, and Korea’s Seungtaek Lee—all of whom finished with commendable scores of 66.
A Resurgence for Thomas Pieters
Pieters, who represents RangeGoats GC on the LIV Golf League, is on a quest to rediscover his winning form that once saw him clinch six titles on the DP World Tour. His first-round performance suggests he may be nearing that level again; it featured an eagle alongside five birdies—a testament to his skillful play.
“I drove it well and putted really nicely,” said Pieters after his round. This year has seen him achieve a best finish of joint fifth place in Singapore while competing on LIV Golf.
The course layout appears to suit him well: “It reminds me a lot of the Belgium Open course where I practice regularly,” he noted. “It’s tight and narrow; however, if you can hit your drivers accurately, you can get close to many par fours.” He emphasized that maintaining straight shots makes navigating this challenging course significantly easier.
Local Insights Boost Performance
Pieters started strong by going four under through just five holes—he made birdies on both opening holes before eagling the par-five fifth hole. He capped off his round with three additional birdies over his last five holes—including one at 18—to tie with Lee for first place.
“I feel good over the golf ball,” he added confidently. “I’m putting nicely but had no expectations coming into this week since I know this area well—I’m actually a member just across from here at Queenwood.”
Richard T. Lee Overcomes Adversity
Richard T. Lee faced physical challenges leading up to this tournament after suffering an injury from falling down stairs three weeks ago in Korea; however, he managed to push through discomfort during today’s competition.
“The right shoulder is what hurts,” explained Lee—a two-time winner on the Asian Tour whose last victory came back in 2017 at the Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea—after having withdrawn from International Series Morocco due to injury concerns last month.
Despite these setbacks, he showcased resilience by making an eagle on par-five 14th hole using a six-iron second shot followed by sinking a six-foot putt for birdie success later in his round.
Lee highlighted how crucial it was for him to save par on hole seven: “I made an excellent up-and-down for par from eight feet which really summed up my bogey-free day.”
He acknowledged that playing such a demanding course requires precision: “You must position your shots perfectly off tee boxes; otherwise you’ll face penalties.”
Solid Start for Richard Bland
Richard Bland also had an impressive start despite facing some challenges throughout his round—having recently claimed two Senior Majors earlier this season (the Senior PGA Championship and US Senior Open). Although he looked poised to lead early into Day One action before succumbing briefly with bogeys at holes fifteen and seventeen—the seasoned player remained optimistic about finishing strong overall stating: “When wind picks up here it can complicate things.”
Bland’s compatriot Andy Sullivan followed closely behind with a scorecard reading 67 along with several other players including Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana among others all tied around similar scores indicating competitive depth within this event field as they vie for top honors throughout tournament play ahead!
Sullivan expressed satisfaction regarding starting strong post-break saying: “I scored well but wouldn’t say I played great… It definitely shows I haven’t done much lately.”
American John Catlin leads both Asian Tour Order Merit rankings alongside The International Series Rankings returning solid rounds himself while New Zealand’s Ben Campbell—the recent victor out west—also performed admirably finishing Day One scoring just one stroke higher than Catlin!
This week marks another exciting chapter within Asian Tour history featuring US$2 million prize money available across nine events thus far showcasing talent globally! As we look forward towards upcoming rounds let us see how these skilled athletes continue their pursuit toward excellence amidst fierce competition!