known Briton Ross McGowan reeled off eight birdies in a seven-under-par 64 to sprint two strokes clear of the field after the Portuguese Open first round on Thursday. Fellow countryman Michael Hoey was in second place on 66, one ahead of British pair Alastair Forsyth and Simon Dyson and Spaniard Carlos Del Moral. McGowan missed the cut at last week's Andalucia Open and instead of practising to get his game right, he left his clubs alone in his attempt to go one better than his joint second place finish at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth in February. Holder Bourdy picked up five shots on the back nine to return a 69. Former European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance, 55, slumped to a 75 after opening with a triple-bogey eight. High winds suspend play The first round of the Shell Houston Open has been suspended because of high winds. Half of the 72-player field teed off before play was halted for the day in mid-afternoon. The round will resume on Friday. A morning thunderstorm postponed the start of the tournament by 2½ hours. Play then stopped because of winds that were strong enough to move balls on the slippery greens before players could mark them.
