Price lives up to superstar status with flying start in Macau

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.