British Masters: Four tied for lead with Westwood and Beef one back
Friday 14 October 2016 07:42, UK
Lee Westwood bounced back from his Ryder Cup disappointment to lie just one shot off the lead after the opening round of the British Masters supported by Sky Sports.
Tommy Fleetwood, Marc Warren, Richard Sterne and Mikko Ilonen are tied at the top after each defied the cold and blustery conditions to card 66s, with Westwood and Andrew "Beef" Johnston among a group of seven players on four under par.
Players of the day
Westwood admitted earlier this week that he had let Darren Clarke down at the Ryder Cup, so to bounce back with a 67 was very impressive. But he shares the day one honours with "Beef", who attracts huge galleries wherever he goes and rewarded his adoring fans by matching Westwood's opener.
Disappointments of the day
Tournament host Luke Donald faces a battle to make the cut after struggling to a 77 - five bogeys, one double, and a lone birdie. And Masters champion Danny Willett was forced to withdraw before the round due to a back injury he appeared to sustain in the pro-am.
Shot of the day
Another dead-heat between a pair of Alex's: Alex Levy's near-perfect tee shot at the short 13th came so close to finding the cup, while Alex Noren rounded off a 67 with a monster putt for eagle at the 18th.
Story of the first round
The cool and wet conditions that greeted the early starters proved to be better for scoring as the wind kicked up in the afternoon, and it was Ilonen who set the clubhouse target at five under par.
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The Finland ace, twice a winner on the European Tour in 2014, got off to a flying start with an eagle at the long second, and he picked up further shots at the seventh and 10th before dropping his only shot of the day at 11.
Ilonen bounced back to birdie the final two holes and post an impressive 66, and he was still drying himself off when Warren, who started at the 10th, also eagled the second and birdied the next to claim the outright lead on six under.
But the Scot slipped up at the ninth and settled for a share of the clubhouse lead, and it appeared they would be the only players to finish at five under when the scoring began to dip in the warmer, but more blustery, afternoon conditions.
However, Fleetwood and Sterne bucked the trend and both kept bogeys off their cards, with Fleetwood cruising to the turn in 32 and adding further birdies at two of the last four holes.
Westwood lost all three of his matches at the Ryder Cup and missed the cut by a distance at last week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but he bounced back to form with four birdies in his first six holes after starting at the 10th.
He offset a bogey at 16 with a birdie at 17, and after a steady run of pars, a poor tee shot cost him a bogey at the seventh before he again responded with an immediate birdie to get back to four under.
His score was matched by no fewer than five of his fellow Englishmen in Johnston, David Horsey, Richard Bland, James Morrison and Lee Slattery, who birdied 18 in near-darkness, while Noren was the odd one out as the lone Swede in the class of 67.
Tyrrell Hatton, fresh off his maiden European Tour win at the St Andrews last week, exuded confidence as he put together five birdies, although he blotted his card with a double-bogey at the fourth - his 13th - when he pushed his tee shot into bushes and could only hack out left-handed.
Ryder Cup star Chris Wood birdied four of the last six holes to join Hatton, Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry on three under, while defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick faltered over the last third of his round and had to settle for a 70.
But tournament host Donald has it all to do to avoid a weekend off, at least until Sunday's prize-giving ceremony, as he bogeyed four of the first eight holes and then slipped to seven over after a double-bogey at 13 and another mistake at the next, although he did lift his spirits with his only birdie of the round at the next.
