SOTOGRANDE, Spain -- Spaniards Jose Rivero, Santiago Luna
and Diego Borrego were among seven players to shoot 2-under-par 70
in the wind Thursday and share the first-round lead at the Spanish
Open.
Also in front on the hilly San Roque course were Peter Hanson
and Peter Gustafsson of Sweden, Emanuele Canonica of Italy and
Steven O'Hara of Scotland.
"There is plenty of danger out there, especially off the tee,"
Hanson said. "You have to play really defensive and keep the ball
in play."
Another six players were one shot off the lead.
Ireland's Paul McGinley, the highest-ranked player in the field,
shot a 76 after a double-bogey 7 at his opening hole. England's
Paul Broadhurst, a former Ryder Cup player who won the Portuguese
Open two weeks ago, slumped to an 80 that included a
quadruple-bogey 8. Paul Lawrie, the 1999 British Open champion, had
a 72.
"My short game was good today," Lawrie said. "It has to be in
this kind of weather because you're not going to hit many greens
today."