Gonzalez going for broke

A great start from Ricardo Gonzalez has forced him to reassess his chances in the Castello Masters in Spain over the coming weekend.

The Argentinian is chasing his fifth European Tour title at Costa Azahar and led at the end of the first round alongside Scotland's Paul Lawrie on seven under par, but had his sights set a little lower before the tournament began as he tried to avoid a fight to retain his Tour status.

Gonzalez, who hit two hat-tricks of birdies in a round of 64, said: "Seven under proves that I can be up there, and hopefully, this will be my week. I was actually aiming for a top 10, as I am struggling to keep my card. This great start not only makes it easier but raises my expectations."

He continued: "I had one my best rounds this season. I played good - I hit almost every fairway which makes things much easier, and my putting felt great."

"Putting has been my main problem - I have been very inconsistent this year, so I got myself a new, larger putter. I seem to see the line much better. I decided to give it a try this week, and it's working fine."

Former Open champion Lawrie - who has not won a Tour event since the Wales Open in 2002 - also exceeded expectations to share the lead with Gonzalez, with England's David Horsey a shot further back.

Lawrie put his impressive opening round down to his putting.

"I putted lovely. I played solidly, I didn't play poorly, but I rolled the ball extremely well,'' Lawrie said on www.europeantour.com.

"The greens this week are some of the best we've seen all year and when the greens are fast and they roll well I tend to hole puts so I did that.

"When the greens are fast I normally hole my share so I'm hoping that continues.''