ORLANDO, Florida, March 25 — American Spencer Levin, seeking his first PGA Tour title, fired an immaculate six-under-par 66 for a three-shot lead after the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational yesterday.

Levin's bogey-free performance in gusty winds at the Bay Hill course gave him the edge over compatriots Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan, who both shot 69.

Tiger Woods, a six-time winner at this event, had four bogeys in a round of 73, failing to hit the fairway once in his opening nine holes.

Woods, who has not won since the Australian Masters in 2009, is looking to hit form ahead of next month's US Masters at Augusta.

Former world No. 1 Phil Mickelson and Britain's Brian Davis and Martin Laird were among a group of 11 players four shots off the pace after shooting rounds of 70.

Levin, who has four top 15 finishes in his last five starts on tour, coped well with a wind that caused plenty of problems for others.

The windy conditions made for some unusually high scoring as only 21 players broke par while 13 were unable to break 80.

"The course is hard anyway and then you throw in a 20-30 miles-per-hour wind and it makes it even more tough," he said.

"I was just hoping for anything around par which would have been a good score but it was a good round, I played solid all day and my putting was really good."

Levin also benefited from some smart short play, chipping in for a birdie on the second and making a 12-footer from the fringe on the sixth.

Those looking for a rising young face to make an impact at Augusta will have been heartened by the performance of the 22-year-old Fowler.

Playing the back nine first, he eagled the par-five 16th before missing key putts at the end as he bogeyed his final two holes.

"I thought I hit two really good par putts but they just didn't want to go in," Fowler, one of the rising talents on the PGA Tour, told reporters.

"But I felt that today was some of the best I've struck all year — I was actually hitting fairways and getting on the green.

"Those putts slipped by but it could have been a really good round versus just a good starting round."

US Open champion Graeme McDowell had a dreadful round, shooting an eight-over-par 80.

A triple bogey on the par-five sixth was the worst moment in a day to forget for the 31-year-old Briton two weeks ahead of the US Masters.

"I haven't been very happy with my game for about four weeks," McDowell said. "This may be the wakeup call I need, you know? So it's a good thing really, a reality check for me." — Reuters

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MUMBAI, March 25 — India delighted their millions of passionate supporters yesterday by evicting defending champions Australia from the World Cup despite briefly threatening to self-destruct in Ahmedabad.

All-rounder Yuvraj Singh was his nation's hero in the second quarter-final, stroking an unbeaten 57 in the five-wicket victory after the middle order had again thrown away their wickets.

In a country obsessed with one-day cricket, the tie against the team seeking a fourth consecutive trophy had dominated the newspapers and the myriad television news channels all week.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting's struggles with the bat provided an absorbing sub-plot, and the prospect of a semi-final against Pakistan in Mohali for the winners next Wednesday added extra spice to the contest.

Ponting responded with a century of great character and resource in a challenging Australian total of 260 for six, which would have been higher had not India produced their best fielding performance of the tournament.

In response, Sachin Tendulkar eased his way to his 94th one-day half century, amid an incessant din at the Sardar Patel Stadium, as the fans readied themselves for the magical 100th international century that has obsessed a nation.

Tendulkar passed 18,000 runs in one-day cricket but fell for 53, and he now has a maximum two innings remaining if he is to reach the landmark during this tournament.

Vibrant Pakistan

Now India must overcome a vibrant Pakistan side growing daily in confidence and competence under the flamboyant Shahid Afridi.

"However we may say that it's just another game, the reality is that whole country wants us to win," said Yuvraj.

Ponting said the teams were similar in style but gave his backing to India.

"I think India will beat Pakistan in the semi-final," he said.

The identity of the other semi-finalists, who will meet in Colombo next Tuesday, will be decided over the next 48 hours.

South Africa are favoured to beat New Zealand in Dhaka today in conditions that will suit their spinners. The 1996 champions Sri Lanka host England in Colombo tomorrow.

England announced yesterday that they had lost all-rounder Michael Yardy, who has flown home after suffering from depression. He will be replaced by the Yorkshire leg-spinning all-rounder Adil Rashid, who represented his country in the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup. — Reuters

 

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