MUNICH, Germany -- Retief Goosen of South Africa shot an 8-under 64 to lead by two after the first round of the rainy BMW International Open on Thursday.

John Daly, who is trying to get his game in shape for the British Open at Turnberry next month, struggled on the first leg of a three-tournament European swing. He finished with a 2-over 74 at the European Tour event.

The first round scoring was unusually low for the tournament because three days of heavy rain produced soft, receptive greens that allowed 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, changed putters for the first time in eight years.

"I have been using the same putter since 2001," Goosen said after his 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. 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 bit 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."

Goosen was left wishing he had changed putters a week ago after he rolled in eight birdies on Thursday.

"It would have been nice to make them at the U.S. Open," he said. " I holed nothing there."

Two birdies in the first three proved to him it was a good move and after picking up further strokes at the sixth, ninth and 13th he finished with three more.

The two-time US Open champion is seeking his first European Tour victory for more than two years, but in the past eight months he has tasted victory in Asia, Africa and America.

As a late starter on Thursday, Goosen avoided the worst of the weather, but being caught in it did not bother Finch -- and nor should it have after what happened at the Irish Open last year.

Finch famously won at Adare Manor after falling in the river playing a shot on the final hole. This time he returned to eagle the sixth, his 15th, and birdie two of the next three.

In the group three behind was Welshman Phillip Price and, following David Duval's showing in the U.S. Open, perhaps this is going to be the week of the big comebacks in golf.

Three days after world No. 882 Duval finished tied for second, former Ryder Cup hero Price, down at a lowly 981st in the rankings, began the BMW International Open in Munich with a 67. The 42-year-old's best round for more than two years gives him the chance to rescue his European Tour career with one good performance.

Best remembered for beating Phil Mickelson in a vital singles at The Belfry in 2002, Price had to rely on his career earnings of more than $6 million to remain a member of the circuit at the end of last year. But he has added little more than $15,000 in 13 starts this season, making only four halfway cuts, and could drop out of the top 40 all-time money winners.

"I lost my way probably. You have to try things, but it didn't work out," he said of his failed attempt to establish himself on the PGA Tour. I came back, my wife and I had another baby and I lost the zest for Tour life a bit.

"It's been a struggle for three years and it got very depressing. It's a tough environment and I stopped making the effort for a while, but I'm trying hard now to turn it around."

England's Danny Willett and David Lynn are also 5 under, as is 1999 Ryder Cup team member Andrew Coltart. The Scot has had to go back to the Tour qualifying school the last few years and, though he won a card last November, it does not guarantee him a start every week.

He spent Monday and Tuesday trying to qualify for next week's French Open. After not coming close he was delighted to hit back in the way he did.

Meanwhile, two months away from his 52nd birthday Bernhard Langer comfortably got the better of 20-year-old playing partner Rory McIlroy. Langer, trying again to become the oldest European Tour winner in history, returned a 4-under 68 to be four behind pacesetter Goosen.

McIlroy, 10th in the U.S. Open, was only level par with four to play, birdied the next two, but then closed with a bogey after trying to hit out a fairway bunker with a wood and hitting the lip.

Just ahead of them, European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie had a real rollercoaster ride before signing for a 70. Three under after six, he fell back to level par, but finished with back-to-back birdies.

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