Lehman learns another lesson from Europeans

Tom Lehman was given further proof today of the current strength in depth of

the European Tour.

Last year's American Ryder Cup captain, invited to take part in the Telecom

Italian Open in Milan, sank a 165-yard seven-iron for an eagle two and returned

a two-under-par 70.

But it did not even put him in the top 40 and it left him eight strokes off

the pace. And that in an event featuring only three Europeans ranked in the

world's top 100.

Swede Joakim Backstrom, only 447th in the rankings, broke the Tolcinasco

course record and was only one stroke off the Tour's low round of the season

with a 10-under 62.

The 29-year-old had two eagles and six birdies but will take only a one-shot

lead over Austrian Markus Brier into the second round.

Backstrom was not sure there would be any play after Wednesday's torrential

rain. But he was sure glad there was.

"I had a 62 in practice last week, but that's my best round in a

tournament," he said.

"The greens are rolling superbly, so if you are within 10 feet you feel

fairly confident that it is going to go in."

He began with a 10-footer for eagle, turned in 32 and then came home in 30,

the highlight of which was a three-iron to 10 feet for another eagle at the

554-yard 15th.

Backstrom has already won on Tour - at the Aa St Omer Open in France in 2005 -

but has had a career bedevilled by back problems.

At nearly 6ft 5in he is among the tallest on the circuit and he added: "I

grew almost a foot when I was younger and my muscles didn't grow with it.

"Everything fell apart really and when it's bad my back becomes extremely

tired and the muscles just become like spaghetti." Given that, winning the

Italian Open might be entirely fitting.

Lehman's eagle two came on the 433-yard 13th and made him five under for a

five-hole stretch.

But the 48-year-old former Open champion had played the first eight in two

over and he finished with another bogey.

On the eve of the tournament he attended his first football match - AC Milan's

drubbing of Manchester United.

"It was amazing - the emotion and the passion of the crowd was

mind-blowing," he said.

"As for my game, it's just so erratic. I saw some great golf from my

partners, though."

France's Raphael Jacquelin, winner of the Asian Open in China last time out,

returned a 66 and Francesco Molinari, who last year became the first home winner

since 1980, would have matched that but for a closing bogey.

Brier won the China Open last month and he played the last 10 holes in eight

under to push Japan's Taichi Teshima into third place.

Lehman, who has been suffering bad jet-lag so far, is one of four Americans in

the field.

Duffy Waldorf, his assistant at the K Club, had a 67, 1996 US Open champion

Steve Jones was another on 70 and European Tour member Notah Begay managed only

a 73.

That was still four better than 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie, though.

The Scot had double bogeys on the fifth and sixth and then a triple bogey on

the short eighth to come home in 42.