Rusty Padraig finds it tough

Padraig Harrington's pre-tournament prediction came back to haunt him in the first round of the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur.

The 29-year-old Dubliner made a point of playing down his chances in the buildup to the £700,000 event, only his second tournament of the season.

It looked as though the Irishman was being overly-pessimistic as he stood at four-under-par with three holes to play, just one shot off the lead.

But after a four-week lay-off rustiness caught up with him and two bogeys in his last three holes meant he had to settle for a first round two under 70.

He was three shots off the early pace set by Holland's Maarten Lafeber who carded a 67, with Masters champion Vijay Singh of Fiji a stroke back.

Meanwhile, Australian amateur Michael Cocking took an early lead firing a seven-under 65 in the first round of the Australian Masters in Melbourne.

Spaniard Sergio Garcia shot a three-over par 75, while Scotland's Colin Montgomerie was two under after 10 holes.