Goosen leads by two at BMW International Open

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Retief Goosen switched putters this week for the first time in six years -- and it paid off.

MUNICH (AP) -- Retief Goosen of South Africa produced an 8-under 64 to lead by two shots after the first round of the BMW International Open on Thursday.

The first-round scoring was unusually low for the tournament because three days of heavy rain produced soft, receptive greens that allowed 82 players, more than half the field, to break par.

Goosen attributed his low score at the waterlogged Golfclub Munchen Eichenried to lessons he learned last week when finishing in 16th place in similar damp conditions at the U.S. Open.

He described playing his approach shots from the fairways as "exactly the same," and after struggling on the greens at Bethpage Black, he changed putters for the first time in eight years.

"I have been using the same putter since 2001," said Goosen after a bogey-free round. "I had a new one made up for me three years ago but I only tried it out in the pro-am on Wednesday for the first time.

"It felt good then and I decided to try it out today. I hit the ball very well last week in the U.S. Open and didn't really make anything on the greens.

"But from the first hole where I hit the ball into three feet and made the putt for a birdie, everything started to go in."

Goosen needed a slice of luck on the 18th hole when a wayward shot was prevented from going into a lake by a TV tower. A free drop set up his final birdie.

England's Richard Finch was in second after a 6-under 66, a good sign for the Englishman after a run of poor performances. Nine others shot 67.

Paul McGinley overcame more than just weather during his round of 4-under 68.

As the Irishman was playing his approach to the seventh green, a woman carrying the player's handheld scoreboard slipped on a nearby bridge and broke her leg.

"She let out an awful scream," McGinley said. "And the sight of her broken bone sticking out at an angle from her ankle was the most sickening sight I have seen on a golf course."