PERTH, Australia – American Peter Uihlein shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Perth International.

India’s Shiv Kapur, recovering from a shoulder injury, and Romain Wattel of France shot 66s, both in morning groups when the conditions were more conducive to low scoring.

Australian Rhein Gibson was in fourth place after a 67, while Australian Brett Rumford and Northern Ireland’s Cormac Sharvin were among those three strokes behind after 68s on the Lake Karrinyup Country Club course.

Uihlein was among the few afternoon starters to move up the leaderboard in tough, blustery conditions. He bogeyed his first hole, the par-4 first.

“When the wind is blowing the way it was, you’ve got to expect to hit a few bad shots,” Uihlein said. “Just accept it and move on.”

Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion playing for the first time in Australia, shot 70. Defending champion Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark had a 71.

Oosthuizen started strongly with three birdies in his first six holes, but bogeyed his 11th hole to fade from the leading groups in the European and Australasian PGA tour event.

“I hit it really well all day, but just found myself on the front nine in awkward spots on the greens,” Oosthuizen said. “I just need to think a bit better around it. I left myself with a few shockers to try and make birdies. I found the places on the green you’re not supposed to be.”

Kapur almost didn’t play Thursday because of his lingering shoulder injury. He injured his right shoulder while lifting his golf bag at Singapore airport two weeks ago, but some treatment just before his opening round eased the pain enough for him to play.

“I was really struggling on the driving range this morning with my shoulder,” Kapur said. “The first few shots that I hit I couldn’t really hold the club at the top of my backswing. The chiropractor here did a great job to get me fit to play, and I popped a couple of pills. Sometimes when you drop expectations and you don’t think about your golf swing, it seems to work pretty well.”

Australian Marcus Fraser, who won last week’s European Tour event in Malaysia, shot 69. European Ryder Cup player Victor Dubuisson of France birdied his final hole on an otherwise forgettable day in which he shot 77.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Australian Marcus Fraser made a curling 18-foot putt for par on the final hole Sunday for a 3-under 68 to win the inaugural Maybank Championship Malaysia by two strokes over Lee Soo-min of South Korea.

Fraser trailed third-round leader Lee throughout the final round at Royal Selangor Golf Club before taking advantage of Lee’s late collapse to claim a third European Tour victory in the event co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour.

The 37-year-old Australian, who ended a six-year title drought, finished with a 15-under total of 269 that included a bogey-free final two rounds.

Lee closed with a 73 and was tied for second with Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines, who shot a final-round 68.

Former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen shot a closing 66 and was seven strokes behind.

The 24-year-old Lee led by three strokes at the start of the day but a double bogey on 16 after an errant drive allowed Fraser to draw level. Tied on the 18th green, the South Korean missed his long par attempt before watching Fraser make his to clinch the tournament.

Lee then failed to convert his return putt to give Fraser his two-stroke margin.

“Unbelievable,” said Fraser, who leads the Asian Tour Order of Merit after only taking up membership at the start of the week.

“Six years since the last one . My kids keep saying every time I walk out the door ‘Hey Dad, can you bring home a trophy? And I’ll say I’ll try, I’ll try and this time I’ll take one home and I’ll get them to take it to school for show and tell,” he said.

He was surprised by his par-saving putt on 18.

“I don’t know how I got that one to go in,” he said. “I was very nervous and looking down on the putt, I could see my putter shaking. But I just said to myself that this is one opportunity for me to win and I took a few deep breaths and holed the putt.”

Lee said he felt “nervous and pressured” over the closing holes.

“This week is very good for my golf life, but I’m a little bit disappointed,” Lee said. “But … I have three top-10s in three events now, so it is OK.”

The 21-year-old Tabuena was pleased to finish tied for second after struggling with food poisoning over the opening two rounds.

“Not being 100 percent, no complaints at all,” Tabuena said. “It kind of helped that I wasn’t in the final group, it took some pressure off.”

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – South Korea’s Lee Soo-min put on a sizzling display with his irons to top the Maybank Championship Malaysia leaderboard on Saturday, opening a three-shot lead over closest rival Marcus Fraser after the third round.

Lee fired home nine birdies, including four in a row on the back nine, for a 7-under 64 to move to a total of 15-under 198 at Royal Selangor Golf Club.

Fraser had a 66 to be outright second, a stroke ahead of Australian compatriot and second-round leader Nathan Holman, who struggled with four birdies and a double bogey en route to a 73.

Lee, ranked 221 in the world, last won a title at the Gunsan CC Open on the Korean Tour last year.

“I had a good feeling this week because I like this course,” Lee said. “I hit many important iron shots and gained some confidence on the greens. I am a bit nervous thinking of the final round but I will try my best. This weekend will be very good for my golf life.”

Fraser is chasing his first title on the Asian and European Tour in six years.

“Probably somewhere round the 18-under mark will win it, depending on what the leader does tomorrow,” Fraser said. “There are a few guys stacked in behind him, so we’ll see what the final day brings.”

The trio of Masahiro Kawamura, Jorge Campillo and Miguel Tabuena trail Lee by five shots in a tie for fourth.

Tabuena, who won the Philippine Open last year intends to use his success on home soil as platform for a grandstand finish.

“Winning against the best in Asia really boosted my confidence. It showed that that I can compete against the finest and hopefully I can make some clutch putts tomorrow to win,” Tabuena said.

Malaysian Open champion Thongchai Jaidee was struck by illness and pulled out of the tournament, which is co-sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Australia’s Nathan Holman shot a 6-under 65 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Maybank Championship Malaysia at the Royal Selangor Golf Club.

Holman, who had an opening round of 64, had seven birdies to reach 13-under at the halfway mark. Richard Bland of England also shot 65 on Friday to stay within two shots of the lead.

England’s Danny Willett was among a group of golfers trailing Holman by five shots.

“I am enjoying the lead,” Holman said. “It is why we play the game, to get ourselves in front and with a chance of winning big tournaments. I’d like to be even further ahead if I could.”

Bland, whose only title came at the Challenge Tour Grand Final in 2001, attributed a change in driver to his strong showing.

“It has added 15 yards to my drives,” he said. “When you got a shorter club in your hand, you can be a bit more aggressive. I am pleased with my round, to get two rounds without dropping a shot takes some doing. Nathan’s playing well, so I’m going to have to keep making birdies just to keep up.”

The inaugural tournament, co-sanctioned by the Asian and European Tour and offering $3 million in prize money, was also highlighted by Casey O’Toole’s 193-yard hole-in-one on the 12th.

“I didn’t see it go in, but when I heard the yells I realized what had happened,” he said. “It’s my first in competition. I’ve had four or five in practice, so this is the first that really counts.”

Martin Kaymer, whose 73 left him at 2-over, was among those who missed the cut. Toronto’s Richard T. Lee was 1-over on the day.

PRETORIA, South Africa – Charl Schwartzel raced away from the rest of the field to win the European Tour’s Tshwane Open by eight shots on Sunday as he closed with a 7-under 63 to finish 16 under par.

Schwartzel, who held a one-shot lead heading into the final round, had seven birdies and an eagle to cruise to victory and his second tour title this season. The former U.S. Masters champion finished with four birdies in his last seven holes for his runaway victory at Pretoria Country Club.

It delivered an 11th European Tour title for Schwartzel, who had ended a two-year drought on the tour by winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship in November. Eight of Schwartzel’s 11 wins have come in South Africa.

Schwartzel won from Denmark’s Jeff Winther, who closed with a 64 for second outright on 8 under.

Winther was the only non-South African in the top six, with Anthony Michael third on 6 under and Justin Walters, Richard Sterne and Dean Burmester tied for fourth another shot back.

Schwartzel bogeyed No. 3 and No. 11, but he was already four shots ahead of his nearest rival at the turn, and immediately made up for that drop at 11 by sinking a 40-foot birdie putt on No. 12. There were three more birdies, including one on the last hole, for his comprehensive win.

PRETORIA, South Africa – Charl Schwartzel will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Tshwane Open after a 66 took him to 9 under par overall on Saturday.

The former U.S. Masters champion had three birdies and an eagle in the third round at Pretoria Country Club. His bogey on the last hole was his first dropped shot since the opening round.

Schwartzel won the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa in November for his first European Tour title in two years.

In Pretoria, he leads from fellow South African Zander Lombard. Two other home players, Haydn Porteous and Anthony Michael, are another two shots back on 6 under.

Englishman Toby Tree is the only non-South African in the top six, tied for fifth on 4 under with Dean Burmester.

PRETORIA, South Africa – Charl Schwartzel made a charge up the leaderboard at the European Tour’s Tshwane Open on Friday, going 6 under in his second round to sit two shots off the lead.

Schwartzel had four birdies and an eagle in his 64 to move to 5 under overall and second behind South African compatriot Anthony Michael.

Michael carded a 1-under 69 to set the clubhouse target before a thunderstorm and then hail forced a suspension in play at Pretoria Country Club.

Daniel Im of the United States (68) and Theunis Spangenberg (71) of South Africa were tied for third on 4 under alongside Haydn Porteous, who won the tour’s Joburg Open last month.

Overnight leader Justin Harding appeared to have revived his challenge with a hole-in-one on the par-3 No. 14 after starting with successive bogeys. But he had four more bogeys and a double bogey for a 5-over 75 to slip down to a tie for seventh.

The European Tour has made a fast start in its effort to combat slow play.

The revised Pace of Play policy, introduced before the Abu Dhabi Championship last month, has helped to reduce average round times and may result in an increased size of fields for tournaments, the tour said on Thursday.

Recently hired chief executive Keith Pelley has made cracking down on slow play a priority, in a bid to make the game more entertaining. Monitoring penalties have been implemented that could lead to fines for repeat offenders.

Since the new policy was introduced last month before the Desert Swing, times for the first and second rounds compared with the 2015 events were reduced by five minutes at the Abu Dhabi Championship, and 10 and four minutes respectively at the Qatar Masters. At the Dubai Desert Classic last week, the tour says the timings of the last match out were reduced by an average of 13 minutes.

“It is terrific to see the policy has had an immediate effect, even though we are still in the early stages of its implementation,” said Pelley, who wants to shave off 15 minutes from rounds. “I am also pleased that our members have reacted positively to this change.

“We are continually striving to make our product even more appealing and entertaining for our fans, and this is a good starting point.”

Top-ranked Jordan Spieth, who competed in Abu Dhabi, was one of five players to have been given monitoring penalties during those three events. These players will be fined the next time they receive a monitoring penalty during this season.

“Our players are now more aware than ever that slow play is unacceptable,” Pelley said.

The tour said saving time in rounds “could conceivably mean larger field sizes in the long term, meeting another of the European Tour’s key priorities of increasing playing opportunities.”

PRETORIA, South Africa – Justin Harding fired a 7-under 63 to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the European Tour’s Tshwane Open in South Africa on Thursday.

Harding’s round featured eight birdies and a single bogey as only 22 players managed to go under par at Pretoria Country Club.

Harding was at the head of five South Africans at the top of the leaderboard. Anthony Michael was 6 under par, Theunis Spangenberg 5 under, Jaco van Zyl 4 under and Merrick Bremner 3 under. Charl Schwartzel was in a tie for 38th after opening with a 1-over 71.

The Tshwane Open is the fifth European Tour event in South Africa this season. Home players have won three of the other four.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Danny Willett withstood the pressure and made a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win the Dubai Desert Classic title by one shot on Sunday.

The 28-year-old Willett closed with 3-under par 69 at Emirates Golf Club to finish on a 19 under 269, one shot better than fellow Englishman Andy Sullivan (68) and Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello (69).

Both Sullivan and Cabrera-Bello had set the marker with birdies on the final hole to take the clubhouse lead. Willett was one-over par for his last four holes after a bogey on the 14th.

But he made the birdie when it mattered most. He had to lay up from the rough on the 18th hole, and his third shot left him with a difficult downhill putt, which he read to perfection.

It was the fourth European Tour victory for Willett, who finished second in the Race to Dubai to Rory McIlroy last year.

The two pre-tournament favorites – McIlroy (65) and Henrik Stenson (66) – finished tied for sixth on 273.

Korea’s Byeong Hun-An (65) and Spain’s Alvaro Quiros (65) were in joint fourth on 272.

“I am just ecstatic,” said Willett, who made six birdies during the final round to go along with bogeys on the 2nd, 9th and 14th holes. “You can’t buy that feeling, you know, what it’s like coming down the back nine, the back three, in contention of a golf tournament. It’s something that you can’t pay for in life. You’ve got to earn it.

“Obviously, coming down the last with all the situations that were going on – Sully (Sullivan) just birdied, Rafa (Cabrera-Bello) hit it two-on . it was just nice to know that I can dig deep there and produce what I can.”

For Sullivan, it was the second straight runner-up finish in Dubai, having finished behind McIlroy at the DP World Tour Championship in November. But the 28-year-old Englishman was feeling more sorry for the small group of supporters from his home town of Nuneaton, who were following him around.

“Every time they have been there, I think I’ve done well. It’s been awesome,” said Sullivan, who had his “Team Sulli” in attendance during November’s tournament as well.

“I feel a little bit gutted for the two times they come to Dubai and I have been a bridesmaid both times, but I’m sure they are proud,” he said. “Fair play to Dan, holing that putt, that was a tough putt.”

McIlroy was happy with his closing 65, but disappointed he could not do any better than 15 under.

“It’s sort of a week of what could have been. There was a lot of really good golf in there. I played a lot of great shots and made a lot of birdies, but just made a few too many mistakes, as well,” said the Northern Irishman.

“I’ll rue the two front nines that I played on Friday and Saturday. Played the combined front nine 5-over par there and if I had not of done that, things could have been different.”