Nick Price has the perfect solution to combat jet lag - have your own plane. Less than 48 hours after arriving in Coloane, the former world number one looked the picture of robust health as he strode to a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Macau Open yesterday. 'Jet lag? No, I feel perfect. I think it helps a lot having your own plane as you can calculate the time zones and time of your arrival precisely. I don't have to bother about changing flights or anything. Like my American Express card, I don't leave home without it,' laughed Price after shooting a five-under-par 66. The Zimbabwean arrived in Macau in his private jet late on Tuesday night. He took a circuitous route to Macau from his luxury home in Florida, travelling via North Dakota, Anchorage and Sapporo - a 20-hour flight. Yesterday, he took route 66 to speed to the top of the leaderboard. Lying in second place is Rafael Ponce of Ecuador with a four-under-par 67, while Taiwan's Chen Tze-chung was two strokes behind with a 68. Swede Stephen Lindskog was three shots off the pace with a two-under-par 69. While most of the field struggled with the gusty breeze swirling in from the South China Sea, Price blew hot as he fired in seven birdies in a round that was only marred by two bogeys on the back nine. 'I played really well. I hit a lot of good shots and putted beautifully. I made a lot of key putts with the shortest being three foot and the longest about 16 feet. I holed out well,' said Price. A winner of three Majors and 17 titles on the US PGA Tour in a long and illustrious career dating back to 1977, the 45-year-old Price is the big-name player to take part in the fifth Macau Open, which is part of the Asian PGA Davidoff Tour. With a pedigree that the rest of the 128-strong field at the US$250,000 event don't even come close to matching, it was no surprise that it was the Zimbabwean who was leading at the end of the first round. 'I'm feeling great. I have slept well since arriving and I'm playing well, despite having three weeks off,' said Price, who dominated the game from 1992 to 1994. Even a 30-minute delay to the start of his round due to the slow progress of earlier flights failed to deter Price from the task at hand. He was in control as the majority failed to navigate the tight and demanding par-71, 6,557-yard course at the Macau Golf and Country Club, which is perched on the verdant cliffs overlooking Hac Sa beach on Coloane Island. 'A lot of players got into trouble on the back nine and we were forced to delay the later flights. Lots of balls were lost out there today. Play was slow,' said Ng Kee Jin, the tournament director. 'A delay? No problems,' shrugged Price when informed his flight, which also comprised defending champion Zhang Lianwei of China - who shot an even-par 71 - and Indian Jyoti Randhawa, would be held back. Price used the extra time on the practice green, fine-tuning his putting. He had a bogey-free first nine that included four birdies. His first slip came at the tough par-four 396-yard 10th. Make par or better deserves a pat on the back, says the official guide. Price could not indulge in any mental back-slapping after bogeying the hole. Three-under with six holes to go, Price picked up two more birdies in the next three holes. He parred the par-four 16th, but then dropped a shot at the par-three 17th, which drops 140-feet from tee to green, before recovering with a final flourish and birdie at the last hole. 'The 17th hole is pure pot luck. I don't like that hole. There is too much chance involved in that one. The guy in front of me used a six-iron and fell five yards short. I used a five-iron and also fell five yards short,' said Price. But apart from that blemish, and the bogey at the 10th, Price had a wonderful day. 'I was a little bit lucky. By the time I went out this afternoon the winds were not as brisk as in the morning. There was a break in the weather. But I will probably have to play in wind tomorrow,' said Price. If he finds the answer blowing in the wind today, the rest of the field will have a tough time overhauling the jet-propelled Price.
