NEWPORT -- Espen Kofstad of Norway closed his round with three straight birdies and an eagle, shooting a 7-under 64 Thursday tha

NEWPORT -- Espen Kofstad of Norway closed his round with three straight birdies and an eagle, shooting a 7-under 64 Thursday that gave him a two-stroke lead after the first day of the Wales Open. Brad Brach Cubs Jersey . Kofstad, ranked No. 305, went out in the first group of the day concluded his round at Celtic Manor by making a bunker shot. Englands Chris Wood and Australias Richard Green shot 66s on the Twenty Ten course that hosted the 2010 Ryder Cup. The European Tour event is the first in the qualification process for the 2014 Ryder Cup against the United States at Gleneagles in Scotland. Europe captain Paul McGinley took the first shot of the tournament and finished with a 70, but was outclassed by playing partner Kofstad. "What a way to finish -- birdie, birdie, birdie and then eagle is just fantastic," McGinley said. "Espen hit it a million miles, hit a lot of fairways, played very well and deserved that score." The 25-year-old Kofstad has had a rough first year on the European Tour. He missed nine cuts in a row starting in April and has dealt with a neck injury. "I have been very, very calm the last two weeks," Kofstad said. "I started to settle down a bit as I was a bit stressed and tentative, and wasnt able to practice as much as I wanted to because of my neck injury." Italys Francesco Molinari, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 43, shot a 73. Defending champion Thongchai Jaidee, who needs a strong finish here to qualify for the International Team in the Presidents Cup, had a 71. Jaidee is hoping to become the first Thai-born player to play the Presidents Cup, which starts Oct. 3 in Dublin, Ohio. Former British Open champion Darren Clarke slumped to his second-worst round this year, shooting 78 on the course where three years ago he was a Ryder Cup vice captain. Mark Grace Cubs Jersey . Ribery terrorized the Schalke defence throughout and put the home side ahead in the 36th minute when he chipped the goalkeeper before stroking the ball into the empty net. The French winger struck again after the interval, combining with Thomas Mueller on the left before firing a deflected shot beyond the helpless Timo Hildebrand in the 55th, as Bayern bounced back from Wednesdays 1-0 loss at FC Basel in the Champions League. Jose Quintana Cubs Jersey . However, Therrien added that Galchenyuks status for next Wednesdays game against the Detroit Red Wings is questionable. Galchenyuk has been out since Jan. 6 with a broken right hand. http://www.cubsauthentic.com/cubs-ben-zobrist-jersey/ . Forsman closed with a 3-under 69 in windy conditions Sunday for his third Champions Tour title. He beat Jay Don Blake by two shots.ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - No matter how hard he tries or how well he plays, Rickie Fowler just cant seem to get the better of Rory McIlroy.A golfing rivalry that began at the 2007 Walker Cup and is being talked about as potentially the biggest of the new generation was one-sided in 2014, with McIlroy outgunning Fowler in the final rounds of the British Open and U.S. PGA Championship to win both major titles. McIlroy then crushed the American 5 and 4 in a singles match at the Ryder Cup.Would the new year bring new luck for Fowler in his burgeoning competition with the worlds best player? Not quite.The friends — separated in age by six months — were grouped together for the opening two rounds of the Abu Dhabi Championship, but Fowler couldnt capitalize on a fast start that put him three shots clear of McIlroy after 10 holes on Thursday.The pair, chatting away for much of their first rounds, traded birdie putts in a high-quality back nine but a strong finish from McIlroy — and Fowlers bogey at the last — saw them post 5-under 67s.I cant get rid of him, the 10th-ranked Fowler said with a smile as he looked across to McIlroy in a joint interview just off the 18th hole.Obviously being able to go back and forth and play against each other, its good fun, Fowler added. We got to see quite a bit of that last year and hopefully theres a lot more to come this year. Its going to be a long career, battling each other.Fowler conceded on the eve of the tournament that McIlroy — the younger of the pair but on tour for two years longer — currently has the edge, chiefly because of his better ball striking and his length and consistency off the tee. Yet, the 26-year-old American beliieves his putting is stronger and that was the case on Thursday. Cole Hamels Cubs Jersey. During a hot streak from No. 15 to No. 7 (they started at No. 10), Fowler made six birdie putts ranging from 10 feet to 35 feet and was assured with his par putts from closer in, too. McIlroy said he was inspired by Fowlers brilliance on the greens as he birdied five of his last seven holes.I just needed to hang on his coattails, McIlroy said. He was kicking me on today, for sure. I was trying to keep up with him and didnt want to let him get too far ahead.Golf is always looking for big rivalries and this McIlroy-Fowler one could endure. They are good friends, too, with Fowler having pledged to play in this years Irish Open at Royal County Down that is being hosted by McIlroys foundation.Indeed, Europe could be seeing more of Fowler, who is looking to become more of a global player. Fellow American Patrick Reed announced on Twitter last month that he had become a member of the European Tour and Fowler is hinting he could follow suit.Definitely moving forward, that could be a possibility with the amount I could play in the future on the European Tour schedule, said Fowler, who is planning to play in the Scottish Open — the warmup for the British Open — again this summer.Thats for the future. As for 2015, Fowler is simply looking to make inroads into McIlroys dominance — and capture a first major title after top-five placings in the four biggest tournaments in golf last year.I guess Im not off to the hottest of starts for my career, with only two worldwide wins, one on the PGA Tour, Fowler said. Id like to start adding to that and make myself a little bit more of a prominent player. ' ' '