Thomas Bjorn set the pace in the first round of the Dunhill Links Championship with an eight-under-par 64 at Kingsbarns.
That gave the Dane, who was the non-playing captain of the Continental Europe team thrashed by Britain and Ireland in Paris last week, a welcome tonic and a two-shot lead over England’s Ross McGowan and Northern Ireland’s Gareth Maybin.
It was only one shot outside Bjorn’s lowest-ever score on the European Tour and could not have been further removed from his experience on his last visit to Scotland.
That was for the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in August and Bjorn, who had not played after a two-month lay-off caused by fatigue-induced dizzy spells, opened with an 82.
On Thursday, Bjorn had four birdies in a back nine 32, eagled the 516-yard third and picked up further strokes on the fourth and sixth.
“I started doing a little bit of stuff with [coach] Pete Cowen on Tuesday, drove the ball fantastic all day — and for the first time in a long time started rolling in a few putts. It’s just nice to walk off and feel like for once I got what I deserved,” he said.
Most of the big names played their opening round at the significantly tougher Carnoustie and Rory McIlroy, who has a chance to go top of the money list this weekend, was happy to return a 68, as did Darren Clarke.
Padraig Harrington bogeyed his last — the 478-yard ninth — for 70, while Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerie could do no better than 73.
Robert Karlsson and Nick Dougherty, the last two winners of the title, slumped to 76 and 78 respectively.
■PETROVIC SHARES LEAD
REUTERS, NEW YORK
Tim Petrovic and rookie Leif Olson shot six-under-par 66s in dismal conditions on Thursday to share the first-round lead at the Turning Stone Championship in Verona, New York, the opener of the US tour’s Fall Series.
The 43-year-old Petrovic, who has four top 10 finishes this year, chipped in twice in a round that featured seven birdies and a lone bogey at the Atunyote course.
Olson, 28, who has made only four cuts in 17 starts this season and ranks 214th on the money list, matched his low PGA round with a 66 that also included one bogey.
One stroke off the pace were Australian John Senden and Americans Matt Kuchar and Vaughn Taylor.
The long irons saved Petrovic, who sacrificed distance to concentrate on keeping the ball in the fairway to take advantage of “lift, clean and place” provisions.
Adam Scott, a captain’s pick by Greg Norman in the International Team for next week’s Presidents Cup, had seven birdies to offset a bogey and double bogey for 68, a score he shared with six others.
Playing alongside Scott was fellow Presidents Cup teammate and compatriot Robert Allenby, who finished second in last year’s Turning Stone Resort Championship though he struggled with a 77 in Thursday’s opening round.
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