MORGAN ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL WITH A 64
IN CHALLENGE TOUR EVENT IN DENMARK

By STEVEN FRANKLIN
Press Officer, Challenge Tour

Englishman John E Morgan, who took the US PGA Tour by storm in 2003 before a violent epileptic seizure derailed his promising career, rediscovered some hot form with a six under par 64 during the first round of the ECCO Tour Championship on the Challenge Tour.
The 29 year old from Bristol, who is having to rely on invitations for tournament starts this year, found Odense Golf Club in Denmark very much to his liking this morning with four birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free 64, one behind early pace-setter Johan Wahlqvist of Sweden.
Morgan, of course, has been here before having graduated through the Challenge Tour in 2002 prior to heading to the United States, where he won a card at that year’s US PGA Tour Qualifying School.
Not one to be backwards about coming forwards, the confident young Englishman soon befriended Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk to name but a few, and captivated the American golfing public with some mesmerising performances and his bright blue hairstyle.
Just as he looked to have found his feet Stateside with three top 10 finishes, including a rousing second place finish behind Mark Hensby at the 2004 John Deere Classic, Morgan was sidelined when a violent epileptic seizure left him with a ruptured sternum.
To make matters worse, the fit was the beginning of a series of injuries and misfortunes that have plagued some of his prime golfing years. Now, though, Morgan has returned to the golf course and is looking to fight his way back into the big time.
The 29 year old has missed half of the cuts on his six Challenge Tour starts in 2007, but a share of sixth place in Italy in April showed that, when fit and healthy, he remains a very talented performer.
Wahlqvist, the 26 year old Swede, is another fighting his way up the professional system and having won his place in the field courtesy of some fine results on the ECCO Tour in Denmark, he benefited from some good luck when he chipped in at the first hole and later holed a six iron for an eagle two at the 16th.
Those two shots helped Wahlqvist to a 63 on a perfectly calm morning and into the clubhouse lead by a stroke from Morgan, with Welshman Stuart Manley well placed after a 65.

LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 70

63 Johan Wahlqvist (Swe).
64 John E Morgan (Eng), Iain Pyman (Eng)
65 Stuart Manley (Wal), Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Magnus A Carlsson (Swe), Inder Van Weerelt (Ned)
66 Matthew Bliss (Can), Peter Bocian (Swe), Rikard Karlberg (Swe), Soren Juul (Den), Peter Ankersoe (Den), Klaus Eriksson (Swe)
67 Jan-Are Larsen (Nor), Ake Nilsson (Swe), Jamie Little (Eng), John Davies (Den), Colm Moriarty (Ire), Panu Kyllianen (Fin), Marcus Palm (Swe), Paul Dwyer (Eng), Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Antti Ahokas (Fin), Thomas Norret (Den), Gary Clark (Eng), Tuomas Tuovinen (Fin)
68 Kasper Linnet Jorgensen (Den), Ben Mason (Eng), Adam Gee (Eng), Brian Akstrup (Den), Knud Storgaard (Den), Mark Murphy (Ire), Benjamin Alvarado (Chi), Christian Aronsen (Nor), Van Phillips (Eng), Peter Kaensche (Nor), Christian Reimbold (Ger), Tony Edlund (Swe), Kalle Edberg (Swe), Kristian Nielsen (am) (Den)
Scots' scores:
73 M Urquhart.
74 A Hay.
76 E Thomson.