BELEK, Turkey – Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez shot a 9-under 63 Thursday for a one-stroke lead on the opening day of the Turkish Airlines Open.

The 50-year-old Jimenez eagled his opening hole and had seven birdies in an 11-hole stretch starting on the fourth. He was one shot off the record at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal course.

England’s Ian Poulter also recorded an eagle and seven birdies, but a bogey left him one shot off the lead.

Australia’s Wade Ormsby, England’s Tyrrell Hatton and South Africa’s Brendon De Jonge were at 7 under.

John Daly shot a 69 and Colin Montgomerie, celebrating his 600th European Tour event, had a 76.

Eleven months ago, Jimenez broke his own record for oldest winner on the European Tour when he defended his Hong Kong Open title at age 49 years, 337 days.

“To shoot nine-under par on this course in only first round, it’s a good start,” he said. “I was six-under par after seven holes and playing very well, and you just try to enjoy yourself. So this is a special round because I’ve been struggling a little bit the last few months. But when you shoot under par, you feel very good.”

Poulter was pleased with his effort after coming close to falling outside the top 50 in the rankings.

“I decided to switch back to my old putter late last week that has a softer insert and it felt really good on these quick greens,” he said. “So the old putter is back in the bag.”

SHANGHAI — The momentum at the HSBC Champions belongs to U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer and Masters champion Bubba Watson.

The lead still belongs to Graeme McDowell.

And the mystery is Hiroshi Iwata, the journeyman from Japan and a surprise guest among major champions atop the leaderboard Saturday in the final World Golf Championship of the year.

McDowell ducked in from the cold, gray afternoon at Sheshan International and wrapped his hand around a warm cup of coffee. He did not look the least bit worried after watching a four-shot lead dwindle to one over the final eight holes.

“Let’s be honest. Yes, I had a three-shot lead overnight and it’s only one now,” McDowell said after his 1-under 71. “But I’ll take this position any week that you offer it to me – a one-shot lead going into the last round on a golf course that I enjoy. Looking forward to the opportunity tomorrow.”

Even so, he was under no illusions of the test that awaited him Sunday.

McDowell was at 11-under 205, one shot ahead of Iwata, who made a long, curling birdie putt on the par-5 18th for a 68, and two shots ahead of Kaymer and Watson.

McDowell knows all about the history of Kaymer at Sheshan International, how the German made nine birdies over the last 12 holes to win the HSBC Champions in 2011. Kaymer zoomed into contention Saturday with seven birdies in a round of 66 and will play in the last group.

As for Watson? McDowell played alongside him in the third round and saw plenty.

“Bubba was awfully impressive today – all day,” McDowell said. “The mistake he made on 10 was very uncharacteristic, and then missed a short one on 12. But the rest of his golf was incredible.”

Watson hit a long iron for his second shot at the par-5 eighth that nearly went in for an albatross, only to miss the 4-foot eagle attempt. His big gaffe was a wedge on the 10th that caught a plugged lie in the bunker, followed by a three-putt from 40 feet for double bogey. He three-putted the 17th late in the round. But he also ran off four birdies over the last five holes for a 69 and joined Kaymer at 9-under 207.

“A couple three-putts today and a double bogey. That’s sad,” Watson said. “But the birdies down the stretch really helped out.”

And what to make of Iwata?

McDowell had never heard of him until Saturday. He had never seen him until looking at one swing as Iwata played in the group ahead.

“It seems that Japan is kind of in a purple patch producing great young players,” McDowell said. “I saw him make one swing today – looked like a beautiful golf swing. Looking forward to seeing what it’s all about tomorrow, and he seems like a nice kid. But genuinely, I’ve never heard of him.”

That much is clear – and can be expected.

For one thing, this “nice kid” is a 33-year-old in his 10th year on the Japan Golf Tour. And perhaps the reason Iwata is not as well known as the other Japanese players is that he has only one victory – and that was two months ago in the Fujisankei Classic.

But he held up beautifully against a world-class field in the HSBC Champions, at least through 54 holes.

“Maybe tomorrow coming up the last few holes, I might get a little bit nervous, but so far I’m calm,” Iwata said. “So I think I’m doing OK.”

McDowell really didn’t do anything wrong to lose so much of the four-shot lead. He tried to miss in the right spot on the par-5 14th hole and pulled his 3-wood into a bad spot, preventing him from a simple up-and-down. He flew a wedge way too far on the short 16th – where Watson and Ian Poulter both made birdie – and had to settle for yet another par. It’s just that pars weren’t enough in the dynamic closing stretch at Sheshan International, and they might not be enough on Sunday.

This is more than a four-man race.

Rickie Fowler recovered from a double bogey in the water on No. 9 for a 69. He was only three behind, along with Tim Clark of South Africa, who also had a 69. Poulter had a cold putter and a 72 and was four shots behind with Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark, who had a 69.

“I felt maybe a tiny bit negative coming in,” McDowell said. “But when I went back and sort of thought through my round, you know, it was difficult. … I wouldn’t say I felt loose coming in, but I also knew it wasn’t something I had to start protecting. I hit a lot of good putts today that didn’t go in, and that’s probably the main difference between shooting 1 under and 3 or 4 under today.”

SHANGHAI – Patrick Reed hasn’t received this much attention since he pressed his finger to his lips in Scotland to quiet the Ryder Cup crowd. This time it was his own mouth that got the 24-year-old American into trouble when he berated himself with swearing and a gay slur.

Reed apologized on Friday for his outburst at the HSBC Champions, which was captured on live television during the opening round of a World Golf Championship.

“Yesterday, I made a stupid error,” Reed said. “Sorry for definitely the words that I said and everything that went on. Never should have happened. Unfortunately, it happened to me and all I can do is just learn from it and move on, hopefully continue playing well and keep giving fans something to watch.”

He was on his 10th hole (No. 1) at Sheshan International in the opening round when he missed a 5-foot putt. Microphones caught him using the F-word twice and capping it off with another F-word – the gay slur – in a fit of rage over his three-putt bogey.

Golf Channel analyst Frank Nobilo immediately apologized to viewers. Reed didn’t even remember what he said until he was informed after the round, and the video clip began making its way across the Internet. Among those he sought out for advice was Bubba Watson, of all people.

Microphones also caught Watson using the F-word in the second round of the U.S. PGA Championship in August.

“He came to me last night and said that, `Hey, I did something bad,'” Watson said. “He showed me the clip. I said, `Yeah, that’s not good.’ That’s all I could say. … It’s sad it comes out, but just like I said before in my own personal problems, that’s how you learn from it. That’s how you become a better man, and that’s what I told him. `Your daughter is not old enough yet, but when your daughter gets older, you don’t want to speak out like that.’ And it’s the same thing with me.”

It was the second time in two weeks that a public figure in golf was swept up in emotion and wound up using offensive terms. Former PGA of America president Ted Bishop directed his “Lil Girl” comment at Ian Poulter.

“I’ve done it in the past. It’s difficult, isn’t it?” Poulter said. “The microphone is there, live TV, its broadcast around the world. We all make mistakes.”

Reed huddled with his handlers for about five minutes after his 73 on Friday before facing the media, answering every question with a mea culpa.

“It’s something not to be proud of, and something that you definitely can’t have happen,” Reed said. “Unfortunately, it got the best of me yesterday, and all I can do is not let it happen again.”

Players who use foul language are usually fined, although the PGA Tour does not disclose its disciplinary action. Graeme McDowell said he has received a text message from his mother when microphones catch him swearing.

“My mom is under some illusion that I don’t swear,” he said. “Like I say, golf is a four-letter word. It’s a frustrating sport. Yes, we use language that we shouldn’t on national television, but that’s the same in any sport.”

Reed’s outburst was more about the words, especially the gay slur, than the volume. He was playing with McDowell and Billy Horschel, and neither of them even heard it. Reed said it as he walked briskly to the hole after missing the short putt.

It happened about 1 p.m. on Thursday in China. McDowell didn’t know about it until he was watching the news Friday morning.

“Yes, he shouldn’t have said it. But is he unfairly dragged across the coals? Who knows? You could argue both sides of the story,” McDowell said. “I don’t have an opinion on it. Guys say things all the time out here.”

Reed blamed his choice of words on his passion, and he is not short on that. He first drew attention to himself at another World Golf Championship at Doral where he said he belonged among the top five players in the world after winning.

“The passion I have for the game is never going to change,” Reed said. “And the drive to play well and win is never going to change. It’s just if I’m ever going to get upset at myself, especially after a Ryder Cup and at the level of golf I’m playing nowadays, you can’t have outbursts. Unfortunately, I did, and happened to be on camera.”

The PGA Tour issued a statement that said its policy for conduct unbecoming a professional “prohibits the use of obscene language on the golf course.” The tour added it would handle the matter internally.

SHANGHAI — Graeme McDowell typically looks at the leaderboard more often at the start of a tournament. It gives him a sense of how the course is playing and what score he might need to contend at the finish.

There was no need to look Thursday in the HSBC Champions.

McDowell noticed ankle-deep rough at Sheshan International and fairways not as wide as usual. He felt firm greens and saw trees jostling in stiff wind. More than anything, he kept looking at all the birdies that filled his scorecard.

McDowell already had seven birdies when he finished his 12th hole, and a couple of loose mistakes at the end of the opening round didn’t diminish his satisfaction. He opened with a 5-under 67 on a tough day in Shanghai to build a two-shot lead.

“No, I didn’t need a leaderboard to let me know that 7 under through 12 is fairly strong,” McDowell said. “Gauging what’s a good score can be a good thing maybe when you’re not going well. But it might not be a great thing if you’re taking it deep and the rest of them are 3-under par and you’re thinking, `Whoa, this is a very good score.'”

That’s not what slowed him. Trouble was lurking everywhere, and not even McDowell was immune.

Rickie Fowler also started quickly with three birdies in his opening five holes, only to spend the rest of the round trading birdies with bogeys. He wound up with a 69, along with U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer, Brandt Snedeker, Chris Kirk, Tim Clark and Tommy Fleetwood.

Strong wind added to the demanding conditions.

Jordan Spieth began his new PGA Tour season with two straight bogeys and had to save par with a long bunker shot on his third hole. He scratched his way back and wound up in a large group at 70 that featured Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson, who made bogey from the bunker on his final hole.

It didn’t take much for players to stumble. FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel made two double bogeys, only one birdie and shot an 80.

“This is a top event – some of the best players in the world, probably the best field you’re going to get in Asia, and you don’t want it to be a pushover,” Fowler said. “You want a good, solid test. And it’s showing that.”

Only 27 players in the 78-man field broke par, compared with 37 players under par on the first day last year when the winning score was 24-under 264. McDowell said he wouldn’t be surprised to see something around 10 or 12 under win, even if the wind lets up.

McDowell is the only player this year to finish in the top 10 at all the World Golf Championships, and while he hasn’t captured a WGC title, Sheshan International would seem to favor him more than the others. Thursday was his 10th consecutive round in the 60s on this course.

“A big key to this golf course is driving the ball well. I drove it very well today,” McDowell said.

The exception was on the 603-yard eighth hole, playing with the wind. McDowell hit a 3-wood to avoid the bunker on the right side of the fairway, and he put it in the deep grass for the first time all day. He could only manage an 8-iron out of the rough and still had 215 yards over the creek fronting the green. McDowell pulled that left of the green and failed to get up and down.

No complaints. He did not forget the 20-foot birdie putt he made on No. 14, or the 45-foot putt he holed across the green at the 17th, or the 25-foot birdie on No. 3. And then there was his drive on the 288-yard 16th, a perfect yardage to go with a perfect swing that gave him a two-putt from 15 feet for birdie.

“There were some tricky holes on the front nine,” McDowell said. “I made a couple of putts I should have in the first 12 holes, and then I made a couple of bogeys that I shouldn’t have coming in. All in all, I think 5 under was a fair representation of my round.”

Canada’s Graham DeLaet had to withdraw after a 45 on nine holes because of a neck injury. The Canadian also withdrew from Malaysia last week with a sore neck.

SHANGHAI — European Tour chief executive George O’Grady is stepping down after 10 years, saying it was a good time to leave after another overwhelming Ryder Cup success and enough “green shoots of recovery” across the tour.

O’Grady asked the board to start looking for a successor, the tour said Wednesday in a statement.

It was not clear when he would officially step down. O’Grady has agreed to stay on until the European Tour board finds a replacement, and then sufficient time for his successor to make a smooth transition.

O’Grady, who has been with the tour in some capacity for more than 40 years, will become president of international relations, in which he will represent the European Tour when golf returns to the Olympics in 2016.

“The European Tour and its players are admired throughout the world of golf, and George has played a key part in building global relationships and developing the tour,” said David Williams, chairman of the tour.

O’Grady became only the third chief executive of the tour in January 2005, following 30 years of Ken Schofield and John Jacobs, who oversaw the tour’s formative years from 1971-74.

“In the aftermath of what I believe to have been the best presented Ryder Cup since my first involvement in the contest at Royal Lytham in 1977, I felt this was the right time to ask the board to begin the search for my successor,” O’Grady said.

“It is my firm belief that, coming toward the end of what has been another incredibly successful season, we are now seeing the green shoots of recovery across Europe, and I am pleased that this coincides with all our building blocks, in terms of key television and sponsorship contracts, being in place.”

It has not always been smooth sailing.

A year after O’Grady was on the job, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem announced The Players Championship would move from March to May, right about the time European events returned to the continent. The U.S. tour also launched the FedEx Cup, a $35 million bonus pool in August and September which became even more attractive to European-born players.

With more players heading for America, the European Tour bumped up the required number of events for its members from 11 to 13 to beef up support.

A critical point was in 2006 at La Costa for the Match Play Championship, where O’Grady assembled two dozen European players in the field for a meeting to allow them to share ideas on keeping the European circuit strong. He said the central message that night was that the “European Tour is worth fighting for.”

A few years later, O’Grady oversaw the new Race to Dubai that provided a year-end bonus to European players.

And with the economy struggling in Europe, the tour adjusted its schedule to become the most global tour in golf. It was the first to tap heavily into the Asia markets – particularly China – and holds events in the Middle East, along with South Africa.

“He’s had a good reign,” Justin Rose said. “There’s no doubt there has been challenges. The European Tour and the economy and the markets in which the European Tour has been going is difficult.”

SHANGHAI – Marcel Siem took the lead for the first time on the 16th hole Sunday and figured two pars would be enough for him to win the BMW Masters.

He should have known it would never be that simple.

A relentless wind at Lake Malaren turned the final round into a wild ride for just about everybody, and not even Siem was immune. The German finished the final round with two bogeys instead of two pars. And then he won a three-man playoff over Alexander Levy of France and Ross Fisher of England by chipping in for birdie from the collar of the 18th green.

“The course was a real monster, and I’m super pleased,” Siem said. “Still can’t believe it. I’m over the moon.”

Siem felt more pressure over an 8-foot par putt on the 18th to win in regulation. Facing the tougher situation – his shot with a 5-iron came up just short and hung in the collar – he felt he had nothing to lose and wound up winning.

“I thought just to stay in the playoff, I have to hole it,” said Siem, who closed with a 1-over 73. “I was expecting one of the guys to hole the putt. It’s just fantastic. A chip-in is always cool, but to have it in a playoff is even cooler.”

Levy had a four-shot lead to start the final round. He had to scramble for bogey on the 18th hole for a 78 to join the playoff. Fisher had a chance for the biggest comeback in European Tour history. He was 11 shots behind going into the last round, closed with a 67 and was the first to post at 16-under 272.

Levy and Fisher both had birdie putts in the playoff on No. 18, the toughest hole at Lake Malaren. After watching Siem chip in for birdie, both missed their putts.

The fourth victory of Siem’s career sends him across town to the World Golf Championship next week. The timing could have been better. Siem was expecting a week off, so his wife flew to Thailand to join him for a holiday. Trophy in hand, he was trying to arrange a visa to get her to Shanghai for the next tournament.

“Would have been the first time in five years on a holiday on our own,” he said. “But I think she will be still happy not to do that.”

What had been an easy week for scoring on a soft, benign golf course turned into a test of survival in the 25 mph wind.

Levy stopped hitting short irons at the flag, and when he closed out the front nine with back-to-back bogeys, his four-shot lead was gone. He built it back to two shots when Siem made a pair of sloppy bogeys, but then the Frenchman drove into the water on the par-5 13th and made double bogey. Levy then missed two short putts – for par on the 14th and birdie on the 15th – that would have allowed him to regain the lead.

He was fortunate just to get into the playoff. Levy’s approach on the 18th in regulation went left toward the water, crossed the hazard line and stopped a foot short from a splash. He chipped over the green and had to make a 5-foot bogey putt to keep playing.

“He deserved to win today because he played fantastic in the wind,” Levy said. “It’s nice for him. And I’m not very disappointed because I played three days of amazing golf and I think I need to keep that in my mind.”

Fisher had the low score Sunday, making six birdies against only one bogey for his 67. Only three other players broke 70, while eight players were in the 80s. That included Miguel Angel Jimenez, who hit four shots into the water on No. 9 and took a 13. He shot an 88.

“You never expect to have a chance,” Fisher said, referring to his 11-shot deficit. “I’m thinking, `Just go out there and shoot a good score. If it gets me a top 10, that would be great.'”

It almost was better that that. Paul Lawrie (1999 British Open) and Jamie Spence (1992 European Masters) share the European Tour record by rallying from 10 shots behind in the final round.

Jamie Donaldson of Wales, who won the clinching match for Europe in the Ryder Cup, put two balls into the water in the round and closed with a 75. Donaldson had a chance to get into the playoff with an 18-foot birdie putt on the last hole. He left it short.

“Concentrated so hard on the line and don’t hit the putt. But there you go – that’s golf,” Donaldson said.

Justin Rose also could have made the playoff, except that he put his approach into the bunker left of the 18th green, blasted out to 18 feet and narrowly missed his par putt. Rose closed with a 72.

“Playing from 13 onwards, it was hang on for dear life,” Rose said.

The BMW Masters is the first of four tournaments in “The Final Series” that wrap up the European Tour season. Siem moves all the way up to No. 4 in the Race to Dubai.

SHANGHAI – Alexander Levy sent his 40-foot putt across the sixth green and down a steep ridge toward the cup, and when it curled in the left side, he turned toward his caddie with arms raised and a smile that lit up Lake Malaren on an overcast day.

Just about everything is going right for Levy at the BMW Masters.

The Frenchman piled up nine more birdies Saturday on his way to a 9-under 63, giving him a four-shot lead over Jamie Donaldson of Wales and leaving him on the cusp of his third victory this year on the European Tour.

“I play good golf and it’s true, I am confident,” Levy said. “You don’t have that (confidence) a lot of time, and I need to enjoy this moment and do my best tomorrow.”

He had no choice but to keep making birdies. So was everyone else on an extraordinary day of scoring.

Donaldson holed out for eagle on the tough 16th hole in his round of 62 and he barely made up any ground. Justin Rose followed a 65 with a 64 on Saturday and actually lost ground to Levy.

“I think I’ve done my part, but I didn’t bank on everyone else going as low as they are,” said Rose, who was seven shots back. “Obviously, Mr. Levy is going ridiculous out there. I would have thought I’d be in a bit better shape going into Sunday than I am, but obviously every credit to the lads that are keeping it going.”

Marcel Siem of Germany shot a 65 and still was five shots behind. He lost more than just a few strokes to Levy. He also lost some money. They have been betting 200 euros (about $250) each round on who has the better score. Levy got him twice in the 36-hole event he won in Portugal three weeks ago. The only round Siem didn’t lose money was on Friday when both shot 66.

“I think I chose the wrong opponent,” Siem said. “But it’s crazy when you’re 17-under par and you lose every round against him – yesterday I tied. But it’s good for him. He’s a great lad and he’s playing unbelievable golf at the moment. Tough to beat him, and I’ll try my best tomorrow. we’ll see.”

About the only one who didn’t keep pace was Nicolas Colsaerts. He missed an 8-foot birdie attempt on the first hole and kept falling further behind until he finished with a double bogey out of the bunker on the 18th hole for a 73. Colsaerts went from a one-shot lead to nine shots behind.

Levy was at 22-under 194 as he goes after his third title of the year on the European Tour. He already is the first Frenchman with multiple wins in one season.

“I played an amazing round,” Levy said. “I enjoy a lot the way I played the first three rounds, and it was a good, good game. And I look to do my best tomorrow and try to play the same golf and to be aggressive like the first round.”

The BMW Masters is the first of four tournaments in “The Finals Series” that wrap up the European Tour season.

The conditions have been soft and overcast all week in Shanghai, with players allowed to lift, clean and replace their golf balls within one club because of the wet turf. Levy likes to take dead aim – he calls it “target golf” – and the soggy turf of Lake Malaren suits him perfectly.

He opened with a 9-iron to about 6 feet for birdie, stuffed a wedge in close for birdie on the second and hit another wedge close on the par-5 third. Even though Colsaerts was some 40 yards beyond him on the par-5 seventh, Levy hit his approach 10 feet closer and both made two-putt birdies.

Levy played with Colsaerts and Romain Wattel of France, with whom he is sharing a room this week.

“Impressive game,” Wattel said to him after the round, and there was no denying that.

Siem was alone in third at 17-under 199. Rose, who opened with a 72, was at 15-under 201 and trying to figure out how he can make up so much ground with one round remaining. His only hope was for Levy to come back to the field.

“If Alex has a bad day, then you look at the second guy – Jamie at 18 (under) and maybe I’m three behind,” Rose said. “I always try to look at it like that because you never know what the leader is going to face on a Sunday, so you always have look at second and go from there. So in with a half-chance.”

Colsaerts and Emiliano Grillo of Argentina (69) were nine shots behind. Graeme McDowell, needing two good finishes during the Shanghai swing to become entrenched in the top 15 on the Race to Dubai, had a 68 and is playing for position.

Levy has not shown any signs of cracking.

“You’ve got to go out there and play well to catch him,” Donaldson said.

SHANGHAI – Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium is among the longest hitters in golf. When he’s hitting it straight, it can be a dangerous combination.

Colsaerts overpowered the par 5s at rain-softened Lake Malaren for the second straight day on his way to an 8-under 64, giving him a one-shot lead over Alexander Levy of France going into the weekend of the BMW Masters.

Colsaerts was at 14-under 130. He is 9-under on the par 5s alone.

“I kept on hitting good drives, which for me here is a big bonus because it’s pretty soft,” Colsaerts said. “If I keep it out in the short stuff, I’m going to have a lot of shorter clubs in than lots of the other guys, so I can see this course a bit more takeable than the others.”

Levy quickly expanded on his first-round lead with three birdies in the opening four holes. He made two more birdies in the middle of the back nine to try to keep pace with Colsaerts and wound up with a 66.

Levy already has won twice this year, including the Volvo China Open. His most recent victory was in Portugal earlier this month in a tournament cut short to 36 holes because of rain. He beat Colsaerts, who had opened with a European Tour record-tying 60.

Colsaerts isn’t interested in payback. He’s just happy he is starting to play well again after dropping to No. 142 in the world and returning to the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles not as a player but to do television work. He has gone 75 tournaments worldwide without winning, dating to the World Match Play Championship in 2012.

“I felt like I’ve been in the zone a couple of times lately, and it doesn’t really happen in such a short period of time like this,” he said. “So it’s pretty nice when you can get it going like this. I’ve been playing quite well for the last couple of months.”

Romain Wattel of France had a 67 and was three shots behind. Branden Grace of South Africa (66) was among three players at 10-under 140.

Overnight rain soaked Lake Malaren, and the players caught a break when heavy rain in the forecast never materialized. Instead there was an overcast sky, soft fairways and slow greens. It was long enough that Colsaerts had to hit fairway metal into some of the par 5s, though he still had no trouble reaching them.

“I was actually surprised at how well I’ve managed them, because for somebody that hits it as long as me, I don’t really think my stats on the par 5s are as good as they should be,” Colsaerts said. “There’s probably guys that hit it a lot shorter and have a much better scoring average on par 5s. … I’m quite happy with the way the par 5s have been going because I’ve been going pretty low on them.”

Thomas Bjorn hasn’t played at all since the Ryder Cup. His neck had been bothered him even at Gleneagles, though he didn’t let on and made it through the week. He was supposed to play the World Match Play and couldn’t get out of bed for three days.

He wasn’t expecting much at the BMW Masters, though he wasn’t expecting a start like this. Bjorn missed a short putt on the opening hole to make bogey, and then took a triple-bogey 8 on the third hole. Just like that, he was back to even par for the tournament. The rest of the round was a blur. Bjorn closed out the front nine with three straight birdies, and then birdied his last two holes for a 67.

He was at 9-under 135, five shots behind.

“You have days like that where all of a sudden, it just all starts going your way,” Bjorn said. “And that was my day today. I would like to play the first three again.”

Graeme McDowell got careless with two shots on the back nine that led to bogeys, giving him a 69 and putting him six shots behind along with Shane Lowry (66) and Jamie Donaldson (68). Ernie Els (68), Justin Rose (65) and Ryan Palmer (67) were another shot behind.

The BMW Masters is the first of four “Final Series” events that conclude the European Tour season. Rory McIlroy, with an insurmountable lead in the Race to Dubai, chose to skip the two events in China and the third event in Turkey.

SHANGHAI – France’s Alexander Levy had five straight birdies in the middle of his round and finished with a 7-under 65 to take the lead in the BMW Masters on Thursday.

Levy began the birdie run on the par-4 ninth on Lake Malaren’s Masters Course. He won the Volvo China Open in Shenzhen in April for his first European Tour title and took the rain-shortened Portugal Masters this month, becoming the first Frenchman to win two events in a single season on the European Tour.

“My golf game is very good as I was bogey-free in missing only one fairway and I’m still aggressive on the golf course and I like to play this golf, so I need to be thinking this way for the rest of the week,” Levy said. “I just like playing in China and, for me, this golf course is pretty much the same as in Shenzhen where there is a lot of water and you play target golf.”

Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts was a stroke back along with Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo and France’s Romain Wattel. Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell topped the six European Ryder Cup players in the field with a bogey-free 67 that contained three straight birdies from the 11th.

The tournament opens the four-event Final Series. The World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions is next week, also in Shanghai, followed by the Turkish Airlines Open and World Tour Championship in Dubai.

Wattel played his last 15 holes with a crack in his driver and did not know the rules allowed him to replace the damaged club.

“Given the length of this course, and also with the rain falling, you really need the driver so I was lucky not to have any real trouble using the club,” Wattel said.

Wattel indicated he will replace the driver and use one offered to him by fellow Frenchman Gregory Bourdy, who was first reserve for the event but did not tee up.

Colsaerts included in his bag an old 2 iron that he used to capture the 2011 Volvo China Open and the 2012 World Match Play Championship in Spain. The 2012 Ryder Cup player is back playing after taking a week off at Hua Hin in Thailand, where he said he underwent a “cleansing” ceremony undertaken by local Buddhist monks.

Six players, including Ryder Cup players Jamie Donaldson, Thomas Bjorn and recent Alfred Dunhill Links champion Oliver Wilson, shared sixth place on 4 under.

Justin Rose, one of Europe’s stars at the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, recovered from a triple-bogey 8 on the fourth hole of his round, when he found water twice – first with a 3 iron and then further up the fairway with a 5 iron. He finished on level-par 72.

“I can’t remember the last time I shot an 8 as I am not a big numbers guy,” Rose said.

“Really,” he added, “I was just one swing away from shooting 4 under par.”

Italy’s Edoardo Molinari aced the par-3 13th – his fourth hole – with a 4 iron from 208 yards. The organizers are offering a BMW i8 sports sedan for a hole-in-one on the 17th hole, but Molinari had to settle for a miniature model along with a bottle of champagne.

“I now have a small car and maybe I can win the big one,” he said.

PERTH, Australia – Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark made a series of spectacular saves in defense of a shrinking lead to shoot a 1-under 71 Sunday and win the Perth International golf tournament by three shots.

Olesen started the final round with a three-shot lead which dropped to one after 12 holes in the face of a concerted charge by Frenchman Victor Dubuisson, who matched the day’s best round of 66 to finish outright second.

Olesen made good his win with a vital birdie on the par-5 15th to claim his second European Tour title with a 17-under total of 271.

His two birdies, one bogey and 15 pars didn’t entirely reflect a checkered final round on Perth’s 6,521-meter (7,131-yard) Lake Karrinyup Golf and Country Club course.

Dubuisson started in eighth place, six shots off the lead, moved up the leaderboard with two birdies on his outward nine, then a sequence of four birdies between the 11th and 15th holes. His card was unblemished, with six birdies in total, but he couldn’t close further on Olesen who kept his nerve in trying positions.

“I missed a few short putts in the middle of the round. I think the lead got down to one shot and I was just thinking about getting my round back to under par, keeping loose and seeing if I could make a few birdies coming in,” Olesen said.

“It was a tough day but it was worth it. That walk down 18 was beautiful.”

Dubuisson finished at 14-under and England’s Mark Foster was outright third at 13-under.

Olesen’s win was his seventh as a professional and his second on the European Tour after the 2012 Sicilian Open.

Former U.S. Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa shot a 72 to finish in a tie for 15th, while Jason Duffner, in his first tournament after almost three months off with a neck injury, finished at 6-under in a share of 23rd.

Olesen showed his scrambling ability as early as the par-5 seventh hole when he hooked his drive into trees but played out and got up and down for a birdie. He put his drive in a deep fairway bunker on the par-5 11th hole, was forced to lay up, but again made a birdie.

The Dane bogeyed the 10th hole, then faced the biggest crisis of his round when he hit his tee shot over the back of the green at the par-3 12th and made bogey. At the same time, Dubuisson birdied the 13th to move into outright second place, one shot behind.

Olesen steadied himself with a birdie on the 13th, restoring a 2-shot advantage. He ventured into trees again off the 14th, but saved par and then gave himself the confidence of a three-shot margin when he birdied the 15th.

“I actually made a great two putt on six for bogey, which was very important, then the birdie on seven,” he said. “My driving and a couple of three woods also were off line.

“It made it quite tricky for me but I holed some great putts coming in, really important putts and it was just a great feeling to see them rolling in the hole.”