- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
Manassero recaptures his youth in Saudi International
Former prodigy Matteo Manassero rediscovered his best form as he shot 62 on Thursday in the opening round of the Saudi International, while a current rising teen, Kim Joo-hyung, was in the chasing pack.
Manassero shot six birdies as he completed the outward nine in six-under-par 29. He made two more birdies on the way home in his bogey-free round to lead by two from his closest pursuers in a star-studded field in the $5 million tournament.
"It was one of those days in which everything was going my way," said the 28-year-old Italian.
"I was playing really solid, giving myself a lot of birdie chances, a lot of really short ones, as well. So just got the round going and just felt comfortable. That's the right word, I guess."
Manassero was just 17 years and 188 days old when he won the Castello Masters in 2010, becoming the youngest winner in European Tour history. He had won four titles by the age of 20, but his only victory since 2013 came on the third-tier Alps Tour in 2020.
He played last season on the Challenge Tour and entered this week's event ranked 395th in the world.
"I'm excited," he said. "I'm curious to see what 2022 has for me.
"I worked really well and I'm happy with the work I've done. There's going to be some lows, there's going to be some ups, but I'm ready for it and (will) see what happens.
"I feel I am very close to everything coming together. Maybe I need to work more on my fitness and consistency, but everything feels good. It's a good start and I am excited to start the season this way."
- Johnson in contention -
The event is on the Asian Tour, but the money on offer has drawn golfers from the other tours.
The group of five two shots off the lead was made up of two Americans, Bubba Watson and Harold Varner III, Englishman Sam Horsfield, Spaniard Adri Arnaus and Ryosuke Kinoshita from Japan.
Five more golfers were another shot back including former world number one Dustin Johnson, the winner in 2019 and 2021, and one of his playing partners, Kim.
The South Korean made the first of his seven birdies at the second hole but said he was not relaxed at the start.
"I think I had some nerves in the first couple holes. You saw that roller-coaster ride. But got into a good mindset. I felt calm after a couple holes, and obviously I know I was birdieing. Just stuck in there, and yeah, great round," said Kim, who also made two bogeys on the back nine.
"I hope the TV got my smiles because I was having the time of my life. It was awesome playing with those guys, and just a great experience," added Kim, who was in a threesome that also included American Jason Kokrak.
"I told myself there's a reason I'm playing with these guys.
"I just told myself 'Just be confident and don't be afraid and just hit your shots'."
On a day of low scores, some of the big names struggled. American Bryson DeChambeau was three over, his score dragged down by a triple-bogey seven on the seventh hole.
Graeme McDowell was also three over, while Lee Westwood was one over and Sergio Garcia birdied the 18th to go round in level par.
A.Malone--AMWN