Choi takes over clubhouse lead as McIlroy remains on song

By Peter Auf der Heyde Apr 8, 2011, 21:13 GMT

Augusta, Georgia - South Korean KJ Choi took over the clubhouse lead at the Masters being played at the Augusta National Golf Club on Friday, while young Northern Irish player Rory McIlroy tore through the field.

Choi finished his round on a two-under par 70 to be seven-under for the tournament, giving him a one-shot lead from Australian Geoff Ogilvy and Alvaro Quiros.

The Spaniard Quiros had shared the overnight lead with McIlroy, but bogeyed the first and ninth and played a double bogey on the par- three 12th. He managed to pull one back with an excellent putt on the 18th to finish with a one-over 73 for a total of 138.

'I know that if you play a par on this course you will score well, but I am still a bit disappointed as some of the putts I missed were short,' he said.

Behind them Ricky Barnes, YE Yang and evergreen Fred Couples were lying in wait on five under.

Yang carded a 72 on the day and said that he was slightly disappointed.

'After scoring a birdie on the eighth, I was eight-under and was flying, but then my putter started failing me,' the South Korean said. 'So I am still a bit disappointed, but there is still a lot of golf left for the weekend.'

51-year-old Couples, who won the Masters in 1992 - when overnight leader McIlroy was just two years old, played fantastic golf, managing five birdies and giving away just one bogey in his round of 68.

Barnes, meanwhile, carded a one-under par 71 for his 139 total. He said that he enjoyed playing at the Masters.

'I feel very comfortable playing here and I am glad that I managed to do well enough to get an invitation. I would like to have qualified though by winning a tournament.

'It was a bit of a bitter-sweet round for me, I was not happy with the par-fives,' he said.

On the course McIlroy finally dropped his first shot of the tournament when he bogeyed the par-three ninth, but then immediately went back to 10-under with a birdie on the 14th.

Pre-tournament favourite Phil Mickelson was on two-under for the tournament at the end of his round, while four-time champion Tiger Woods was clawing his way back into contention with three birdies in a row, taking him to three-under for the tournament with eight holes to play on the day.

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