World No. 2 Lee Westwood shared the lead after the first round of the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart on Thursday, while his Ryder Cup captain from last year, Colin Montgomerie, also started well in an 11th-hour bid to snatch a place in The Open.
Westwood, who could overtake fellow Briton Luke Donald at the top of the rankings going into next week’s major at Sandwich should he win in Scotland, fired a seven-under 65 along with Chile’s Mark Tullo.
Montgomerie carded a promising 67 although the Scot, who matched the score of playing partner Donald, was disappointed not to be even better placed to clinch a 22nd consecutive appearance at The Open.
Photo: Reuters
“Any time you play with the world No. 1 and equal him around the course you’ve done okay, but I should have done better,” the eight-time European No. 1 told reporters.
“When I made eagle I thought I was on to something, but then I bogeyed two of the easiest holes. To miss the ninth [his 18th] fairway was a disaster,” he said.
“The thing’s 110 yards wide. I had to hit my second shot backwards. I’m disappointed, but then if I wasn’t disappointed, I’d give up. I’m here to do well — I’m here to win,” Montgomerie said.
The 48-year-old needs to finish in the top five to have any chance of a slot in The Open.
“It’s a long time, 21 years playing in The Open, a whole career, a championship I love, one I’ve finished second in — I want to play again, I really do,” he said.
Westwood and Tullo are one stroke ahead of last week’s French Open joint runner-up Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark, South African George Coetzee and Swede Peter Hanson.
Westwood appeared blase about the possibility of going to next week’s major as world No. 1 or being favorite to win at Royal St George’s on England’s southeast coast.
“I wouldn’t care if I was 1,000 to 1 to win,” he said. “Or I would ... I’d put a big bet on myself.”
Tullo, in his rookie year and 232nd in the world, is a rank outsider in a high-class field, although he did see off US Open champion Rory McIlroy last year to win the Egyptian Open on the lower tiered Challenge Tour.
Quadruple major champion Phil Mickelson carded a modest 73 to lie eight strokes off the pace.
The left-handed American has said he is trying to master links golf to claim his first Open title, but fell foul of the 14th when his ball returned to his feet from a chip to the green, causing him to double-bogey.
“I didn’t play very well around the greens and threw a couple of shots away,” Mickelson said.
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