Karlberg enjoying himself in Malaysia

Karlberg

The Swede carded a seven-under-par round of 65 on a wet, humid Thursday in Malaysia to lead the tournament by two shots going into day two.

Karlberg has endured a tough season owing to a viral infection, but feels a whole lot better about himself after a bogey-free day at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

"It [illness] gets you a little bit stressed out," the 27-year-old said.

"I just stopped almost enjoying the game. I was a little bit frustrated before the two last tournaments coming into this week."

Karlberg - making only his third appearance on the PGA Tour - cited his relaxed state of mind as a key component in his opening-round success.

"Just enjoying it and having fun out there made a big difference to me - I haven't really thought about it as a big event," he added.

Three players are hot on Karlberg's heels thanks to their rounds of 67, with Billy Hurley III, Brian Stuard and Angelo Que all sitting two shots adrift of the leader.

Thunderstorms in Southeast Asia caused a two-hour interruption on day one, but defending champion Ryan Moore was not overly affected as he ended three shots off the pace on four under along with seven other players, including American veteran Davis Love III.

World number four Sergio Garcia - the tournament's top ranked player - enjoyed a strong back nine, posting four birdies on his way back in to finish three under. 

But, despite that impressive back-nine showing, the Spaniard bemoaned a frustrating day on the greens.

"It was one of those days where instead of lipping in, they seemed to lip out, and I probably had at least four or five putts that looked like they were going to go in and didn't," he said. 

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