Dougherty's 10-under leads in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 6 (UPI) -- Nick Dougherty, taking advantage of favorable playing conditions, fired a 10-under-par 62 Thursday and owns the first-round lead at the Malaysian Open.

With little wind and clean-and-place rules in effect, Dougherty piled up 10 birdies on the day and tied the tournament 18-hole record. He has a 2-stroke lead over Simon Dyson and Marcus Fraser. Four other golfers are tied for fourth at 7-under 65.

"I played nice, I played good," Dougherty said. "I drove the ball well, I putted really well. Iron work wasn't up to much, but the good thing was that my misses were all in the right places and I think that shows how much I have improved in the last few years."

Dougherty started at No. 10 and wasted no time in moving up the leaderboard. He had birdies on his first three holes, parred three straight and finished the turn at 6-under with birdies at Nos. 16-18.

He ran his birdies string to seven holes and was at 10-under with five holes to play. Dougherty finished his day with pars on 5-9.