Europe opens slight lead in World Champions Cup

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CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Former Ryder Cup captains Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjorn won the modified alternate-shot round as Europe took the lead over the Americans and Internationals after the first day of the Skechers World Champions Cup.

Points are award for each hole in the nine-hole matches at Feather Sound Country Club, with better ball in the morning and the modified alternate shot (Scottish Sixsomes) in the afternoon.

Soren Kjeldsen and Alex Cejka each registered 20 points for Europe, which had 57 points.

The U.S. and International teams were at 52.5 points each. Two more sessions follow on Friday, and then it concludes Sunday with singles.

“We got off to a nice start, but as you can all see, scoring is still really, really tight, really close,” Clarke said. “There’s a lot of volatility in the matches to come.”

Kjeldsen is a vice captain for Europe, but he filled in for Bernhard Langer, who sat out with an illness. Langer is expected to play Friday.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf