Havret hot at Gleneagles

Havret: Two-shot lead

First round leaderboard:
(GB & Ire unless stated)
G Havret (Fra) -5
P Broadhurst -3
C Cavaer (Fra) -3
G Orr -3
R Rock -3

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Frenchman Gregory Havret opened a two-shot lead after the first round of the Johnnie Walker Championship, while Soren Hansen and Darren Clarke gave their Ryder Cup hopes further boosts.

Collated scores

Havret made light of blustery conditions and the trecherous greens at Gleneagles to post a five-under-par 68 that contained six birdies and just a single bogey.

That left him a couple clear of a group of four that comprises compatriot Christian Cavaer, Scotland's Gary Orr and English duo Paul Broadhurst and Robert Rock.

However, the sub-plot to this week's event is the race for Ryder Cup places with six players still going for the three remaining automatic qualification places.

Justin Rose and Hansen who sit in eighth and ninth places respectively at present eased their nerves with opening rounds of 73 (level-par) and 71 (two-under) respectively.

But Oliver Wilson, who occupies the tenth and final spot in the rankings at present faces a potentially nervy weekend after a first round of 76.

To his undoubted relief, the man with best chance of catching and passing him, Germany's Martin Kaymer, also carded a 76 to stand at three-over.

If Wilson were to miss the cut, Kaymer would need a top-26 finish to deny him a Ryder Cup debut, but both players face an uphill task to make the weekend.

Ross Fisher and Nick Dougherty also have the opportunity to deny Wilson, with Fisher needing a third-place finish and Dougherty the runner-up spot to qualify if Wilson were to be cut.

Fisher battled back well from three-over at one point to post a 72 (one-under), while Dougherty produced five birdies and five bogeys in an eventful level-par 73.

Wilson, who double-bogeyed the fifth, admitted he had much to work on, but was not despondent with his efforts.

Wilson unhappy

"Must do better," he commented. "The greens are not overly smooth, but I felt I was a little bit unlucky - every time I hit it in the rough I got a bad lie.

"I don't think I've blown myself out of it. I could have done, but I didn't."

For Clarke, winner last week in Holland, the mission is to impress European captain Nick Faldo sufficiently to earn one of his two wildcard picks and he looked to be doing just that as he reached three-under midway through the back nine.

A disappointing run of three consecutive bogeys at 15, 16 and 17 followed, but he responded well with a birdie-four at the last to move back into the red numbers and increase hopes of another strong showing.

Cup stalwart Colin Montgomerie also maintains hopes of a ninth consecutive cap and he insisted he was "by no means" out of things despite an opening 74.

Westwood slams greens

One man with no Ryder Cup worries is Lee Westwood who played his way on some time ago, still the Englishman was scathing about the condition of the greens at the venue which will host the 2014 match - insisting they could wreck havoc come Sunday evening.

"I said last year that the greens were awful and something needed to be done," Westwood stated after a 74 that included a four-putt double bogey at the 461-yard fifth.

"At the end of the week unfortunately the tournament could be won or lost by luck on the greens. They are the people I feel really sorry for. There is a lot riding on that.

"They are going to be feeling pressure as it is and you don't want to be standing over a three-footer with so much doubt in your mind not knowing if the ball is going to run straight."

The man who coped best with the hazardous putting conditions was Havret who is now going for his second big title on Scottish shores following his play-off victory over Phil Mickelson at Loch Lomond last year.

The 31-year-old from Aix-en-Provence, who started at the tenth tee, returned three birdies on both the back and front nine, including three in a row at the fourth, fifth and sixth, to take early command at Gleneagles.