O’Hara puts putting woes behind him

FROM PAUL SYMES, Challenge Tour Press Officer
Buoyed by the highest European Challenge Tour finish of his career last week, Scotland’s Steven O’Hara posted a four under par round of 68 to trail the early pacesetters by two shots on day one of the Trophée du Golf Club de Genève in Switzerland.
The man from Motherwell, who collected €16,500 for his runner-up finish at last week’s Lexus Open in Norway, carded six birdies and two bogeys at Golf Club de Genève for a tie for fourth behind clubhouse leaders Rafael Cabrera Bello of Spain and Australia’s Andrew Tampion.
This season O’Hara, who enjoyed a sensational amateur career before turning professional in 2001, has returned to the Challenge Tour after a disappointing season on The European Tour saw him surrender his full playing privileges.
But the 28 year old is confident he has inadvertently found a cure for the putting woes which blighted his 2007 campaign.
O’Hara said: “I can feel my confidence slowly coming back, particularly in my putting stroke, which is now much more solid and consistent. I’ve always given myself plenty of birdie opportunities, but the difference now is that I’m taking a few more. I’ve really struggled for the past two years on the greens.
“I was chopping and changing with my putters and my methods, which meant I didn’t really give myself a chance of getting used to anything. But on the Challenge Tour this year there aren’t equipment trucks with huge selections of putters to choose from every week, so I’ve had to stick with what I’ve got – and so far it seems to be working fairly well. Long may it continue.”
England’s Richard Bland continued his fine run of recent form by topping the Trophée du Golf Club de Genève leaderboard with an opening round of 65.

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England’s Richard Bland continued his fine run of recent form by topping the Trophée du Golf Club de Genève leaderboard with an opening round of 65.
Having finished inside the top ten in his last three European Challenge Tour appearances, Bland swiftly got back in the groove at Golf Club de Genève, carding eight birdies and a solitary bogey to lead by one shot from Spain’s Rafael Cabrera Bello and Australia’s Matthew Tampion.
Bland, a close friend of former Southampton star Matt Le Tissier, is full of confidence after finishing third at last week’s Lexus Open and runner-up at the Challenge of Ireland presented by Glasson, and is now determined to add to his solitary Challenge Tour victory, at the 2001 Grand Final.
The 35 year old, who has a wealth of European Tour experience, said: “I’ve been playing pretty well for a couple of months now, and my short game and putting in particular have improved. So even when I don’t find the greens, more often than not I’m still walking away with pars, which is so crucial for your momentum. I’m definitely old enough – and probably stupid enough – to know what works for me now, and what doesn’t. This time I’m really sticking to it, and not straying from the beaten track.
“I’ve been knocking on the door for a while now, and hopefully this week it might open for me, because it’s been a while since my last win. But it’s just nice to be playing well at the business end of the season. When I stand on the tee, I can be pretty confident of where the ball’s likely to end up. I don’t feel like I’ve got too many weaknesses at the moment, whereas in the past maybe you’re waiting for a bad shot. I’ve never been one to brag or boast because I’m not really an arrogant person, but it feels pretty good right now.”
Cabrera Bello and Tampion are both on six under par after signing for rounds of 66, whilst the English duo of Seve Benson and Andrew Willey share fourth place on five under par.


First round scores:

65 R Bland (Eng)
66 R Cabrera Bello (Esp); A Tampion (Aus)
67 S Benson (Eng)
68 A Ahokas (Fin); K Eriksson (Swe); A Willey (Eng); G Lockerbie (Eng); A McArthur (Sco); E Goya (Arg); J Morgan (Eng); S O'Hara (Sco); W Besseling (Ned); M McGeady (Irl)
69 R De Sousa (Sui); B Wiesberger (Aut); M Hoey (NIR); M Higley (Eng); T Feyrsinger (Aut)
70 M Ruiz (Par); A Tadini (Ita); I Van Weerelt (Ned)
71 S Robinson (Eng)
72 G Hutcheon (Sco); J Huldahl (Den); G Maybin (NIR) ; C Nilsson (Swe); B Pettersson (Swe); A Rocha (Bra); D Horsey (Eng)
73 A Bossert (Sui)
74 J Haeggman (Swe); G Clark (Eng); G Boyd (Eng); T Remkes (Ned)
76 M Haastrup (Den)