SOLID START BY ROSS DRUMMOND

ON HIS EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR

DEBUT IN THE BARBADOS

BY STEVE FRANKLIN

Prestwick's Ross Drummond (pictured right) made a solid start to his European Seniors Tour career, carding a battling level par 72 to finish in a share of 13th place after round one of the DGM Barbados Open at Royal Westmoreland.
Unsurprisingly given his time away from top-level competition, the four times Scottish professional champion produced a mixed display that contained four birdies and four bogeys in matching halves of 36.
Drummond, whose most successful season came in 1996 and was chronicled in the best-selling golf book, Four Iron in the Soul, quit playing full-time on The European Tour in 2001, after 24 years. Since then the 6f 4in Paisley man has played regularly - and successfully - on the Tartan Tour.
“Like most players, I reached that interval period on The European Tour when you are aged mid-40s and starting to struggle. I quit as a result, so it’s appealing to be given the chance to get back into top-level tournament golf and being able to compete again,” commented 50 year old Drummond, who is the best placed of the four Scots competing in Barbados.
Aberdonian John Chillas carded a 73, Torrance-based Mike Miller a 74 and Ladybank’s Martin Gray a 78.
England’s Nick Job set the first round pace with a bogey-free card of five under par 67 to lead by one stroke from Italy’s Giuseppe Cali.
It was vintage stuff from Job – he was never in trouble during his 18 holes on this spectacular layout – and afterwards he admitted that he was benefiting from a winter spent jousting with the young guns on mini tours in the United States.
“I kept my competitive edge by playing mini tours in Florida and also worked hard on my swing. I was playing against young guys and I used them as my example. I am now standing taller, using my height. I am also trying to release more, something we never did as kids in England,” explained Job, a three-time winner on the European Seniors Tour.
In fact, Job won twice during his sojourn Stateside and is looking to convert his renewed confidence into early success on the 2007 European Seniors Tour. He certainly started positively enough, producing birdies at the 14th, 15th, first, second and third holes, having begun his round at the tenth.
“I played nicely and did not miss a single green in regulation. I want more of the same tomorrow,” he added.
Meanwhile, BBC sport pundit Gary Lineker lies second in the pro-am competition that runs alongside the professional tournament. The former England footballer has a better ball score of 18 under par for two rounds so far, three strokes behind Laura Mahony.
SCORES FROM BARBADOS

Leading scores in the European Seniors Tour event, the DGM Barbados Open, which teed off at Royal Westmoreland, Barbados today:
Par 72
67 Nick Job (Eng).
68 Giuseppe Cali (Ita).
69 Luis Carbonetti (Arg), Antonio Garrido (Esp), José Rivero (Esp), Ian Mosey (Eng), Jerry Bruner (US).
70 Alan Tapie (US), Denis O’Sullivan (Ire), Bob Cameron (Eng).
71 Pete Oakley (US), Delroy Cambridge (Jam)
72 Gordon J Brand (Eng), David J Russell (Eng), Kevin Spurgeon (Eng), Ross Drummond (Sco), Bob Boyd (US), Tony Johnstone (Zim), Jimmy Heggarty (NIr), Doug Johnson (US)
73 Gavan Levenson (SAf), Maurice Bembridge (Eng), Juan Quiros (Esp), John Chillas (Sco)
74 Victor Garcia (Spa), John Benda (US), Adan Sowa (Arg), Martin Poxon (Eng), Mike Miller (Sco)
75 Bruce Heuchan (Can), David Creamer (Eng), Bill Hardwick (Can), Bob Lendzion (US), Bertus Smit (SAf)
76 Ray Carrasco (US), Andrew Murray (Eng), Tony Charnley (Eng), Tim Rastall (Eng), Manuel Piñero (Spa).
77 Guillermo Encina (Chi).
78 Glenn Ralph (Eng), Tommy Horton (Eng), Martin Gray (Sco), Horacio Carbonetti (Arg)
79 Neville Clarke (SAf), Gery Watine (Fra), Brian Evans (Eng).
80 Emilio Rodriguez (Spa).