JOHN CHILLAS (70) ONE BEHIND LEADER ROCCA
IN EUROPEAN SENIOR MASTERS AT WOBURN

By GRAEME HAMLETT
Press Officer, European Seniors Tour
Having used the recent break in the European Seniors Tour schedule to fine tune his golf swing, John Chillas is one shot off the European Senior Masters lead held by Italy’s Costantino Rocca, after carding an opening two under par round of 70 over the Duke’s Course at Woburn Golf Club today.
The 56-year-old Aberdonian fired two birdies on the first two holes and then recorded 15 consecutive pars before dropping a shot at the 17th, only to rally with a closing 10 feet birdie on the 18th hole.
Chillas said: “I worked on my game during the time off between The Midas English Seniors Open at St Mellion and coming here, and I’m pleased with the way I played. Woburn’s playing a little softer and longer than it has in the past, so you know the ball is not going to shoot off the fairways.
“I drove the ball nicely and just played very steady golf; I found the fairways and greens. It’s not a day to hit the ball close to the flags, as the wind is making it a bit fiddly, but my long-putting was good. I’m pleased I’m in with a chance and we’ll see what happens over the weekend.”
Fellow Scot Bill Longmuir, seeking a second consecutive Seniors Tour win after his Midas English Seniors Open triumph a fortnight ago in Cornwall, opened with a two over par 74. “It was a bit of a struggle today,” he said.
Sam Torrance meanwhile shot a three over par 75, as did Steve Martin and Mike Miller, while defending champion, England’s Carl Mason, shot a one under par 71, to be two off the pace. He said: “I’m pleased with that, because I couldn’t get my head on the job today. I had a strange feeling all the way around.”
Completing the Scottish challenge, Martin Gray and Ross Drummond and Martin Gray shot 78 and 79 respectively.
FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Par 72
69 C Rocca (Ita)
70 J Chillas (Sco), M Pinero (Spa), D Good (Aus) 70, A Sowa (Arg)
71 C Mason (Eng), M Foster (Eng), P Dugeny (Fra), E Rodriguez (Spa), J Quiros (Spa), G Cali (Ita)
72 P Oakley (USA), A Murray (Eng), E Darcy (Irl), S Owen (Nzl), G Encina (Chl), M Poxon (Eng)
73 I Mosey (Eng), B Cameron (Eng), GJ Brand (Eng), A Fernandez (Chl), D Cambridge (Jam), G Watine (Fra)
74 J Bland (RSA), B Longmuir (Sco), B Malley (USA), J Rivero (Spa), D O’Sullivan (Irl), T Gale (Aus), J Lapsley (Nzl)
75 P Teravainen (USA), D Merriman (Aus), T Johnstone (Zim), B Larratt (Eng), T Rastall (Eng), S Torrance (Sco), S Ginn (Aus), S Martin (Sco), B Lendzion (USA), D Johnson (USA), M Miller (Sco), H Carbonetti (Arg), B Lincoln (RSA), B Heuchan (Can)
76 N Ratcliffe (Aus), N Job (Eng), T Allen (Eng), M James (Eng), J Mashego (RSA), M Bembridge (Eng), J Rhodes (Eng), T Horton (Eng), L Carbonetti (Arg)
77 J Heggarty (Nir), D J Russell (Eng), A Garrido (Spa), J Bruner (USA), K Spurgeon (Eng)
78 G Ralph (Eng), M Gray (Sco)
79 I Palmer (RSA), P Leonard (Nir), D Durnian (Eng), R Drummond (Sco)
80 V Garcia (Spa)
81 N Coles (Eng), D Creamer (Eng), M Ferguson (Aus)
82 T Charnley (Eng), JM Canizares (Spa)
83 J Benda (USA), L Higgins (Ire)
84 B Smit (RSA)