BRESCIA, Italy, May 1 (UPI) -- Australian Peter O'Malley shrugged off a two-month absence and equaled the course record with an 8-under-par 64 Thursday in the first round of the Italian Open.
O'Malley matched Bernhard Langer's score from the final round in 1997, when the German came from three strokes behind Jose Maria Olazabal to claim the title.
England's Gary Clark was two shots off the lead after firing a 66, despite having to carry his own clubs. England's Roger Chapman, Fredrik Orest of Sweden and Argentina's Ricardo Gonzalez each carded a 67.
Colin Montgomerie opened with a 70, a score matched by Costantino Rocca despite the Italian having to take evasive action to avoid a miscue from his playing partner. Montgomerie had pulled his drive on the par-5 11th, his second hole of the day, on the picturesque Gardagolf course near Lake Garda.
Partially blocked by trees, the Scot attempted to pitch out onto the fairway but hit the first tree in front of him. The ball squirted out sideways and almost hit Rocca and his caddie as they stood waiting to play their second shot.
"It was one of those times that I was so close to him that I couldn't shout 'fore,' admitted Montgomerie, who settled for a quick apology instead. "He did well to get out of the way, a bit of a shimmy and a body-swerve."
Montgomerie salvaged a par-5 and picked up two birdies before more tree trouble on the 18th led to a bogey and outward nine of 35.
After a sparkling 62 in Wednesday's pro-am with new cavity-back clubs, Montgomerie is making his first appearance of the season in Europe after an unprecedented, if unsuccessful, eight-week stint in America.
He was a collective 19-over par in missing the cut in five of his six stroke-play tournaments and also lost, 4 & 2, to Alex Cejka in the first round of the World Golf Championships Match Play in California.
Rounds of 78 and 76 at the Masters added up to his worst halfway total by four shots in 12 appearances at Augusta and it was also the Scot's second-worst effort ever in 46 major championships.
In 14 competitive rounds in the United States, he failed to break 70 and after another bogey on the par-5 third left him level par for the day, that unhappy sequence looked unlikely to be broken.
Birdies at the next two holes at least saw him finish 2-under par and in good spirits despite battling with the gallery spilling out onto the fairways during his round.
"Once we got some crowd control it was okay," Montgomerie said. "We had a couple of problems but it was just over-exuberance. I didn't realize it was a Bank Holiday in Italy for May Day."
Montgomerie was six shots behind O'Malley, who gained fame by playing the last five holes at Gleneagles in 7-under par at the Scottish Open in 1992.
O'Malley has not played since the Johnnie Walker Classic in February, but felt he was rounding into form after a weekend practicing with coach Denis Pugh, who also coaches Montgomerie.
"I went about five weeks where I didn't play at all, just doing family stuff with the kids, and my wife's father passed away in that time so I was just being there and supporting her," O'Malley said.
O'Malley had the luxury of a caddie to carry his clubs, which was more than could be said Clark.
The 30-year-old, who lost his card by finishing 140th on the Order of Merit last year, had to carry his own bag after failing to secure the services of a local caddie in Italy.
"I think there was just one local caddie this week and someone snapped him up and I don't have a regular caddie because I haven't got a full card," said Clark, who finished fifth on the Challenge Tour in 2001.
"It was like going back to my amateur days, playing with your friends and just walking around. Eighteen holes is no big deal."
