His stunning effort, with 10 birdies and no dropped shots on the tough Nick Faldo-designed course, gave him a comfortable cushion over the home favourite Alex Cejka, New Zealand's Greg Turner and Argentinian Jorge Berendt, who all posted 66s. This performance confirmed the potential he displayed as a rookie on tour seven years ago which had the experts tipping him to be the next Nick Faldo. "I don't think I'm ever going to be the next Faldo or Langer as some people were predicting because I've lost too much time, but after being in the doldrums I've got no problems at all and that's such a nice thing to say after all the things I've been through," Evans said.After a successful amateur career, with consecutive wins in the Brabazon and Lytham trophies, Evans seemed destined for glory and won almost pounds 150,000 in his first year on tour in 1992. But a persistent wrist injury halted his progress and even after surgery in 1994 he struggled to regain his form until deciding to start from scratch with a new coach, manager and set of clubs in 1997."I was in the doldrums for two years until making those changes and this is a result of two years' work rather than just one day," Evans added.Less happy was Andrew Coltart, who was forced to withdraw after an opening 76. The 29-year-old Surrey-based Scot picked up a mysterious rib injury earlier in the week and, with the US Open next week, did not want to make it any worse.The pre-tournament favourite Bernhard Langer could only manage a level- par 72 as he searched for an 11th title on home soil while another Ryder Cup player, the Italian Costantino Rocca, had a 69.Justin Rose opened his career on the Challenge Tour in blistering style with a six-under-par 64 in the first round of the Diners Club Austrian Open in Millstatter See.Rose, who has failed to make 20 cuts since turning professional after his fourth place at last year's Open at Royal Birkdale, carded six birdies and stayed bogey-free for the first time as a professional. It was also his lowest professional round and left him in a three-way tie for the lead with Neil Turley and Pascal Edmond.n Britain's Laura Davies had a storming finish in torrential rain to stay in contention for a record third win at the Evian Masters. Sweden's Catrin Nilsmark birdied the final two holes for a 70 to take the halfway lead on 139.

But Davies also made long putts on the 17th and 18th for a 72 and a share of second place on 141 with Lancashire's Lora Fairclough and Sweden's Charlotta Sorenstam.Results, Digest, page 27. BLYTH TAIT may have been "a bit cautious" when he rode his dressage test on Sam Barr's Welton Envoy, but the New Zealander was, nevertheless, leading when the first day of dressage was completed yesterday at the Bramham Horse and Hound International Three-Day Event in Yorkshire. The 12-year-old has enough movement and presence to impress the judges even when he is not being asked to show his full potential. "He normally leads after the dressage, except at Chatsworth where he was a bit Bolshie," Tait said. This is his first three-day event with Welton Envoy, who was due to run at Boekelo last year until rain reduced the Dutch contest to a one-day event and Tait withdrew because the ground was too wet.Tait has a four-point advantage over Pippa Funnell on the Chatsworth runner-up, Rainbow Magic, with Mark Todd nine points further back in third place on Just a Mission.

Todd took over his nine-year-old mount after Robert Lemieux retired at the end of 1997. The horse is one of "about 10" that the Kiwi rider will have qualified for the Olympics by the end of this year.Stunning, who is one of them, is about to move to the British rider, William Fox-Pitt. "I've not sat on him yet, so we'll have to get some easy runs while I get used to him," Fox-Pitt said. "If all goes well, we might go to Burghley."This year's Burghley, which runs from 2 to 5 September, will host a new contest devised by the Professional Event Riders Association. Riders will now be competing for the PERA Global Masters Trophy with a first prize of pounds 20,000.

The members would like the contest to be run under the old system of scoring instead of the controversial new rules which were introduced this year.. England 2 South Korea 3 SEUNG TAE SONG punished England three times on the break in their opening game of the Champions Trophy here yesterday as South Korea registered their first victory over England. In a disastrous opening five minutes England conceded the first goal three minutes into the game when Song latched on to a through ball, drew David Luckes to the edge of the circle before slipping the ball through his legs into the net. A minute later, in a desperate tackle, Julian Halls suffered a hand injury and England's key defender took no further part in the game.A diving tackle by Duncan Woods in midfield set Mark Pearn off on a long run towards goal which ended with the Reading striker slamming the ball into the roof of the net for the equaliser four minutes from the interval.Good chances fell to Stuart Head and to Calum Giles to put England into the lead before, in the 57th and 66th minutes, Song struck again, on both occasions catching the English defence flat-footed as the South Koreans broke at speed. It was only in the 70th minute that Danny Hall won England's only penalty corner of the game, which Giles converted for the final scoreline."After getting ourselves back into the match in the latter part of the first half we gave away too much possession in the second half to sustain control," said the England coach, Barry Dancer, and stressed the need to regroup quickly for today's game against Australia.