Ronnie McDonald joint 97th at end of first day

'Bad back' Drummond returns

with a 69 in PGA Seniors

Championship opening

round at Stoke by Nayland

By GRAEME HAMLETT

Press Officer, European Seniors Tour

Ross Drummond (pictured right) put aside six weeks of injury-borne frustration by firing a three under par 69 at the PGA Seniors Championship to lie two shots off the lead held by Canada’s Bruce Heuchan and England’s Carl Mason at the Stoke-by-Nayland Club, where defending champion Sam Torrance, seeking a third consecutive title, opened with a battling 70 over the Gainsborough Course (6,737yd, par 72).
Drummond has missed four of the last six tournaments of the European Seniors Tour season owing to a bad back and lower disc damage. “I did it just after at the Open de France Senior de Divonne in July, and have been laid up at home in Prestwick ever since really. It’s been a struggle and I’ve been disappointed to miss so many of the good tournaments we have in the summer, like the Wentworth Senior Masters,” said the 6ft 4in man from Prestwick.
“I came back for the European Senior Masters at Woburn, but wasn’t expecting anything other than to feel my way back into playing, so to shoot a 69 today is very pleasing. I’m still not 100 per cent but hopefully it’s going to get better day by day. If my score does as well, I’ll be very happy.”
Torrance, who is trying to emulate Ireland’s Christy O’Connor and England’s Neil Coles as a triple PGA Seniors Championship winner in consecutive years, got off to a fine start, birdieing two of the first four holes. However, he dropped shots at holes eight, nine and ten, but recovered with consecutive birdies on holes 14 and 15, and added a further one on 17.
Sam said: “It was a battling round but one I’ll take. I’m only three shots back. I struggled a bit around the turn. I pulled my tee-shots on eight and nine into the trees and three-putted ten, but got it back over the closing holes. The course is playing perfect for me – the fairways are firm but the greens are playing lovely and soft, so I’ve no problems with that. It’s if it’s hard and fast all over that it doesn’t suit me.”
Mike Miller shot a one under par 71, John Chillas carded a level par 72, while fellow European Seniors Tour player Bill Longmuir shot 71. Scottish club professionals Bill McColl, Craig Maltman and Roddy Watkins respectively shot 75, 77 and 77.

Aberdonian Ronnie McDonald, who has given up the "comfort zone" of being club professional at Kemnay to see if he can "make it" on the over-50s pro tour, was given an early reminder of what Doug Sanders used to say: "The guys who can beat you when they are 25-35, can still beat you when they are 50-55."

Ronnie had an opening round of five-over-par 77. He did not too badly on the outward journey with birdies at the fifth and ninth and bogeys at the second, sixth and eighth to turn in one-over-par 37.

But the inward journey was birdie-less as he bogeyed the 13th, 15th, 16th and 18th for 40 shots home. McDonald starts the second day in joint 97th place.

A group of three players – America’s Peter Teravainen, England’s Bob Cameron and Jim Rhodes – trail Mason and Heuchan by one shot after each firing 68. Italy’s Costantino Rocca, seeking to add the Senior PGA title to the PGA Championship he won in 1996 at Wentworth Club, is on three under par.

LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES

Par 72

67 B Heuchan (Can), C Mason (Eng).

68 P Teravainen (US), B Cameron (Eng), J Rhodes (Eng).

69 M Williams (Zim), C Rocca (Ita), D J Russell (Eng), R Drummond (Sco), J L Gallardo (Spa), G Cali (Ita), L Carbonetti (Ita), J Quiros (Spa).

70 J Hall (Eng), J Bland (SAf), N Job Eng), D Johnson (US), S Torrance (Sco), D Watson (Zim), J Benda (US), M White (Sco).

Other Scots' scores:

71 M Miller, B Longmuir (jt 21st).

72 P Kerr, J Chillas (jt 36th).

73 G Laing (jt 50th).

74 S Martin (jt 57th).

75 B McColl, M Gray, S Martin (jt 66th).

76 G Harvey (jt 82nd).

77 C Maltman, R Watkins, R McDonald (jt 97th).