Ryder Cup hopefuls Darren Clarke and Colin Montgomerie had encouraging opening rounds in the Johnnie Walker Championship on Thursday.
The duo, with 13 Ryder Cup appearances between them, shot respective rounds of 72 and 74 on The Centenary Course at Gleneagles as Frenchman Gregory Havret took the first-round lead with a 5-under-par 68.
Nick Dougherty started a late European team bid to rise from 14th in the standings to the top 10 who qualify automatically by shooting 73. His round contained five birdies and five bogeys on the windy 7,320-yard (6,693m) course with unpredictable greens after recent rain.
PHOTO: AP
Two who could be ousted from the leading 10 on Sunday had mixed fortunes. Ninth-placed Soren Hansen shot a 2-under 71 while Oliver Wilson, 10th, carded a 76.
Justin Rose, eighth and at slight risk, shot 73.
Clarke, fresh from victory in last week’s Dutch Open, said he almost convinced himself on Wednesday that he loved this course.
“One under was a good score today with the wind and the soft greens,” said the big Northern Irishman, 17th on the list.
Clarke was troubled by the greens.
“I didn’t have a one or two-footer all day that I didn’t think might miss,” said Clarke, who bogeyed the 15th, 16th and 17th before a birdie at the last.
Montgomerie, who doubles as the chairman of this tournament, conceded there was a problem with the greens.
“I think that some greens drain better than these, there’s no question. So we’ll have to look into that at a future date,” he said.
Officials said rainfall over the last three weeks was 205mm compared with this month’s average of 86mm.
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