JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Edoardo Molinari was in a four-way tie for the first-round lead at the European Tours Joburg Open with his 7-under-par 64 on Thursday. The Italian, chasing a British Open place as well as his first title in four years, was joined by Scottish pair Alastair Forsyth and Craig Lee and South African Justin Walters. A 2010 Ryder Cup winner, Molinari opened with three straight birdies at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington and collected eight in all on the par-71 West Course. "The front nine was probably as good as Ive played in a long time," he said. Lee had maybe the most impressive start with his 7-under 65 on the tougher par-72 East Course, with eight birdies and just one bogey on No. 17. "Its really hard to figure out where you are in the field with two golf courses, and with the East being slightly tougher I feel like Im in a good position," Lee said. Forsyth and Walters both carded 64s on the West, with Forsyth not dropping a shot all day. They led by one shot. Players play one round on the East and West courses before finishing on the East over the weekend. The tournament is also a qualifying event for the British Open in July and offers places to the three highest-placed finishers in the top 10 not already exempt. None of the top 10 on Thursday have qualified for the Open. Johannesburg defending champion Richard Sterne opened with a 5-under 67 on the East, but couldnt fully capitalize on an eagle three on his first hole, as he sat in a tie for 13th. Sterne has qualified for the British Open, as has former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, who managed a 69 on the East. Molinari has battled through fitness problems since his 2010 Ryder Cup debut and hasnt won since that year, but looked solid with five birdies and a single dropped shot on his opening nine. He made another three birdies coming in. Chasing the leading pack are eight players on 6 under, including South Africas Hennie Otto, who tied for second in the season-opening South African Open in November. South Koreas Jin Jeong, who won his maiden tour title at the Perth International last year, is also in contention after a 65. The Joburg Open is the sixth tournament out of 10 on the early European Tour schedule to be played in South Africa. There will be a seventh next weekend with the Africa Open. Andre Reed Jersey .Simon will work with head coach Gord Dineen and associate coach Derek King behind the bench of the Toronto Maple Leafs American Hockey League affiliate for the 2014-15 season. Custom Buffalo Bills Jerseys . Ribery terrorized the Schalke defence throughout and put the home side ahead in the 36th minute when he chipped the goalkeeper before stroking the ball into the empty net. 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MORITZ, Switzerland -- Ted Ligety of the United States put together two nearly flawless runs in difficult conditions to win a World Cup giant slalom on Sunday, the last mens race before the Sochi Olympics. Ligety, a two-time world champion in the event, overcame poor visibility to finish a massive 1.51 seconds faster than Marcel Hirscher of Austria in the combined time. "Its so tough when you cant see anything, it makes it so much more tiring. Im glad I was able to make it to the finish line," said Ligety, who posted the fastest time in both runs. The convincing win boosted Ligetys Olympic hopes. "Its nice to get in another good race and I hope I can carry that confidence over the next two weeks," Ligety said. Hirscher jumped from third to second, while Alexis Pinturault of France fell from second to third after both heats to finish 1.69 seconds behind Ligety. "The second run was definitely very good, but the first run, to be one and a half seconds behind, was nothing for me," Hirscher said. As fog shrouded the middle section of the course, Ligety raced to his 21st career victory and his third in a giant slalom this season. He also has a victory in a super combined this year. Ligety won the first two giant slaloms of the season, with Hirscher getting the next two. Felix Neureuther of Germany, winner of the previous giant slalom race, skipped the event to rest a painful back before the Olympics. Hirscher still stayed atop the giant slalom standings and took the lead overall as Aksel Lund Svindal of Noorway fell in the second heat.dddddddddddd Hirscher is now 58 points ahead of Svindal. The Austrian has a 95-point lead over Pinturault in giant slalom standings, while Ligety is five points behind the Frenchman. "It was a very difficult slope but I am pleased because I stayed on the podium," Pinturault said. Ligety explained his big margin of victory by taking a different line. "When its bumpy like this, I dont go so straight, I go a bit closer to the gates. A little mistake will cost you a lot on a course like this," Ligety said. Bode Miller of the United States hit a rut and crashed out about halfway into the first run. Miller won the giant slalom title at the 2003 World Championships, the last time men raced in St. Moritz. The 36-year-old American said he was ready for his fifth Olympics, despite Sundays mishap. "My skiing is generally pretty solid now," Miller said. "There were already big holes in some places when I went down and you cant see where they are and the coaches cant tell you where they are. The guys making it down were skiing very conservatively, trying not to crash and not to make mistakes. Ted is the only one really who skied normally. "I didnt want to be 2.5 seconds behind and so tried to ski normally. But I had big problems from the start," Miller said. Fog forced the cancellation of Saturdays downhill and threatened the giant slalom as well. The start of the second run was delayed by half an hour and there was a long break before the last 11 racers. ' ' '