Australia's Nathan Green and American Michael Connell fired five-under 65s to share the first round lead at the Honda Classic Thursday, while Yang Yong-eun opened his title defense with a dreadful nine-over 79. Green and Connell both returned bogey-free rounds in gusty, cool conditions at the PGA National Champions course in Palm Beach Gardens to lead Colombia's Camilo Villegas, Briton Oliver Wilson and Brazil's Alex Rocha by a stroke. Fiji's Vijay Singh lurked one shot further adrift on three-under 67 with Americans D.J. Trahan and Bubba Watson. Yang, who won his first PGA title with victory at the Honda Classic last year, got his defense off to a bumbling start and never recovered. Playing the back nine first, the South Korean bogeyed the 10th then made a mess of the 436-yard par-four 11th taking a quintuple bogey nine. Yang twice hit his approach shots into the water then three-putted, including a miss from inside five feet. While Yang stumbled, Rocha, ranked 711th in the world, found his stride in the blustery conditions. Kiradech in front Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat led the weather-interrupted Malaysian Open on nine-under-par despite completing only 14 holes of his second round Friday. Kiradech, who started on the 10th, chipped in from 30-yards for an eagle three on the par-5 fifth, his final hole of the day, before bad light stopped play after more than two hours were lost because of storms. Spain's Alejandro Canizares was a shot back on eight-under-par after managing to complete his three-under 69 round just before play stopped at the co-sanctioned Asian and European Tour event. Earlier, Dane Soren Hansen and Filipino Angelo Que both fired five-under-par 67s in the morning session to sit at seven-under after another hot and humid day at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country club. Temperatures reached 35 degrees with 75 percent humidity which proved too much for India's Jyoti Randhawa and Argentine Rafa Echenique, who both withdrew from the tournament before Friday's round after suffering effects from the weather. Overnight leaders Ignacio Garrido (16 holes) and Rhys Davies (11) and South Korean's Kim Dae-hyun (9) and KJ Choi (16) were also at seven-under and will have to finish their rounds early Saturday, when more storms are expected. Blumenherst, Lim share lead In Australia, American Amanda Blumenherst birdied her last hole to share the half-way lead with South Korean Lim Ji-Na in the Australian Ladies Masters at Royal Pines Friday. Blumenherst, who carded a flawless six-under to lead after the opening 18 holes, started slowly in damp conditions and made the turn in one under 34 before finishing with a three-under 69 to share the lead with Lim at nine under 135. They led a clutch of five players on seven-under 137, including Australians Karrie Webb (68-69) and defending champion Katherine Hull (67-70).
