Clarke (80), Montgomerie (81)
struggle at The Belfry
FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Lee Westwood and Graeme McDowell did a lot better today on their return from playing in the Ryder Cup than Darren Clarke and Colin Montgomerie did on their return from watching it on television.
Westwood opened his defence of the Quinn Insurance British Masters at The Belfry with a four-under-par 68 to be only one behind leaders Marcus Fraser and Mikael Lundberg.
McDowell, the only other member of last week's losing team in Louisville to be playing in the £1.8million event, had a 72, but Clarke crashed to an 80 and Montgomerie to an 81 - his worst score in Europe for over four years.
The 45-year-old Scot, who pulled out of the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Cologne two weeks ago with a shoulder injury, was paired with Westwood.
"He didn't have one of his greatest days," said the Worksop golfer. "But the rough is thick, the course is demanding and if you miss the fairways it can get away from you very easily.
"I felt a bit jet-lagged over the last four holes and my legs started to go a bit, but everything was pretty good. My fitness has a lot to do with that. There are no negatives to being fitter."
As well as wanting to retain the title Westwood is looking to close the gap on Padraig Harrington at the top of the Order of Merit.
Australian Fraser, 115th on the money list and fully aware that only 115 players keep their cards at the end of the season, went to the turn in 31 early in the day.
By holding his position over the back nine the 30-year-old, just back from a trip back home to see his pregnant wife Carlie, set a clubhouse target which only Lundberg, the Swede who won the Russian Open for a second time in July, could match during the afternoon.
They are a stroke ahead of not only Westwood, but also fellow Englishman Sam Walker, Dane Anders Hansen and Argentina's Rafa Echenique.
Marc Warren came in late in the day with a 68 to be joint third alongside Lee Weswood, Anders Hansden and Rafael Echenique. Second top Scot is Paul Lawrie, enjoying a welcome return to form on the European circuit.
SCOREBOARD TO COME
Par 72
67 Mikael Lundberg (Swe), Marcus Fraser (Aus)
68 Sam Walker, Marc Warren, Anders Hansen (Den), Rafael Echenique (Arg), Lee Westwood
69 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind), Michael Campbell (Nzl), Mikko Ilonen (Fin), Paul Lawrie, David Dixon, Thomas Bjorn (Den), Greg Owen
70 Francesco Molinari (Ita), Robert Jan Derksen (Ned), Nick Dougherty, Graeme Storm, Simon Wakefield, Paul Broadhurst, Michael Jonzon (Swe), Miles Tunnicliff, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe)
71 Ross Fisher, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha), Anthony Wall, Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Markus Brier (Aut), Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa), Gregory Havret (Fra), Peter Whiteford, David Howell, Phillip Price, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), David Lynn, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra), Gregory Bourdy (Fra), Robert Giles
72 Craig Lee, Alvaro Velasco (Spa), Shiv Kapur (Ind), Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Graeme McDowell, David Horsey, Jean Van de Velde (Fra), Simon Dyson, Rory McIlroy, Carl Suneson (Spa), Alexander Noren (Swe), Niclas Fasth (Swe), Julien Clement (Swi), Mark Foster, Bradley Dredge
73 Patrik Sjoland (Swe), Sion Bebb, Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Pelle Edberg (Swe), Pierre Relecom (Bel), Johan Edfors (Swe), Magnus A Carlsson (Swe), Jose-Filipe Lima (Por), Lee Slattery, Iain Pyman, Sam Little, Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Christian Cevaer (Fra), Juan Abbate (Arg), Steve Webster, Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra), Scott Strange (Aus), Lee S James, Phillip Archer, Paul McGinley, Ross McGowan
74 Martin Erlandsson (Swe), Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Joost Luiten (Ned), Peter Baker, Scott Drummond, Peter Lawrie, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Gary Murphy, Alastair Forsyth, Richard Green (Aus), Florian Praegant (Aut)
75 Martin Wiegele (Aut), Anton Haig (Rsa), Jan Are Larsen (Nor), Luis Claverie (Spa), Marcel Siem (Ger), Maarten Lafeber (Ned), Peter Hedblom (Swe), Alvaro Quiros (Spa), Peter Hanson (Swe), David Drysdale, Tommy Fleetwood, Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra), Pablo Martin (Spa), Jyoti Randhawa (Ind), Barry Lane
76 Henrik Nystrom (Swe), Damien McGrane, Gary Orr, Benn Barham, Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Stuart Manley, Carlos Rodiles (Spa), Robert Rock, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par), Tom Whitehouse, Jamie Donaldson, Ignacio Garrido (Spa), James Kamte (Rsa), Peter O'Malley (Aus)
77 Gareth Paddison (Nzl), Matthew Millar (Aus), Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg), Julio Zapata (Arg), Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den), Oliver Fisher
78 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), Thomas Aiken (Rsa), James Kingston (Rsa), Richard Finch, David Higgins, Emanuele Canonica (Ita)
79 David Griffiths, Paul Waring, Stephen Gallacher, Sven Struver (Ger), Pedro Figueiredo (Por), Peter Fowler (Aus), Philip Golding, Richard Sterne (Rsa)
80 Chris Wood, Leif Westerberg (Swe), Robert Dinwiddie, Darren Clarke
81 Joakim Backstrom (Swe), Colin Montgomerie
82 Garry Houston
83 Simon Khan, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa)
struggle at The Belfry
FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Lee Westwood and Graeme McDowell did a lot better today on their return from playing in the Ryder Cup than Darren Clarke and Colin Montgomerie did on their return from watching it on television.
Westwood opened his defence of the Quinn Insurance British Masters at The Belfry with a four-under-par 68 to be only one behind leaders Marcus Fraser and Mikael Lundberg.
McDowell, the only other member of last week's losing team in Louisville to be playing in the £1.8million event, had a 72, but Clarke crashed to an 80 and Montgomerie to an 81 - his worst score in Europe for over four years.
The 45-year-old Scot, who pulled out of the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Cologne two weeks ago with a shoulder injury, was paired with Westwood.
"He didn't have one of his greatest days," said the Worksop golfer. "But the rough is thick, the course is demanding and if you miss the fairways it can get away from you very easily.
"I felt a bit jet-lagged over the last four holes and my legs started to go a bit, but everything was pretty good. My fitness has a lot to do with that. There are no negatives to being fitter."
As well as wanting to retain the title Westwood is looking to close the gap on Padraig Harrington at the top of the Order of Merit.
Australian Fraser, 115th on the money list and fully aware that only 115 players keep their cards at the end of the season, went to the turn in 31 early in the day.
By holding his position over the back nine the 30-year-old, just back from a trip back home to see his pregnant wife Carlie, set a clubhouse target which only Lundberg, the Swede who won the Russian Open for a second time in July, could match during the afternoon.
They are a stroke ahead of not only Westwood, but also fellow Englishman Sam Walker, Dane Anders Hansen and Argentina's Rafa Echenique.
Marc Warren came in late in the day with a 68 to be joint third alongside Lee Weswood, Anders Hansden and Rafael Echenique. Second top Scot is Paul Lawrie, enjoying a welcome return to form on the European circuit.
SCOREBOARD TO COME
Par 72
67 Mikael Lundberg (Swe), Marcus Fraser (Aus)
68 Sam Walker, Marc Warren, Anders Hansen (Den), Rafael Echenique (Arg), Lee Westwood
69 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind), Michael Campbell (Nzl), Mikko Ilonen (Fin), Paul Lawrie, David Dixon, Thomas Bjorn (Den), Greg Owen
70 Francesco Molinari (Ita), Robert Jan Derksen (Ned), Nick Dougherty, Graeme Storm, Simon Wakefield, Paul Broadhurst, Michael Jonzon (Swe), Miles Tunnicliff, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe)
71 Ross Fisher, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha), Anthony Wall, Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Markus Brier (Aut), Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa), Gregory Havret (Fra), Peter Whiteford, David Howell, Phillip Price, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), David Lynn, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra), Gregory Bourdy (Fra), Robert Giles
72 Craig Lee, Alvaro Velasco (Spa), Shiv Kapur (Ind), Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Graeme McDowell, David Horsey, Jean Van de Velde (Fra), Simon Dyson, Rory McIlroy, Carl Suneson (Spa), Alexander Noren (Swe), Niclas Fasth (Swe), Julien Clement (Swi), Mark Foster, Bradley Dredge
73 Patrik Sjoland (Swe), Sion Bebb, Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Pelle Edberg (Swe), Pierre Relecom (Bel), Johan Edfors (Swe), Magnus A Carlsson (Swe), Jose-Filipe Lima (Por), Lee Slattery, Iain Pyman, Sam Little, Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Christian Cevaer (Fra), Juan Abbate (Arg), Steve Webster, Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra), Scott Strange (Aus), Lee S James, Phillip Archer, Paul McGinley, Ross McGowan
74 Martin Erlandsson (Swe), Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Joost Luiten (Ned), Peter Baker, Scott Drummond, Peter Lawrie, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Gary Murphy, Alastair Forsyth, Richard Green (Aus), Florian Praegant (Aut)
75 Martin Wiegele (Aut), Anton Haig (Rsa), Jan Are Larsen (Nor), Luis Claverie (Spa), Marcel Siem (Ger), Maarten Lafeber (Ned), Peter Hedblom (Swe), Alvaro Quiros (Spa), Peter Hanson (Swe), David Drysdale, Tommy Fleetwood, Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra), Pablo Martin (Spa), Jyoti Randhawa (Ind), Barry Lane
76 Henrik Nystrom (Swe), Damien McGrane, Gary Orr, Benn Barham, Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Stuart Manley, Carlos Rodiles (Spa), Robert Rock, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par), Tom Whitehouse, Jamie Donaldson, Ignacio Garrido (Spa), James Kamte (Rsa), Peter O'Malley (Aus)
77 Gareth Paddison (Nzl), Matthew Millar (Aus), Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg), Julio Zapata (Arg), Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den), Oliver Fisher
78 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), Thomas Aiken (Rsa), James Kingston (Rsa), Richard Finch, David Higgins, Emanuele Canonica (Ita)
79 David Griffiths, Paul Waring, Stephen Gallacher, Sven Struver (Ger), Pedro Figueiredo (Por), Peter Fowler (Aus), Philip Golding, Richard Sterne (Rsa)
80 Chris Wood, Leif Westerberg (Swe), Robert Dinwiddie, Darren Clarke
81 Joakim Backstrom (Swe), Colin Montgomerie
82 Garry Houston
83 Simon Khan, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa)
Labels: EUROPEAN TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Thursday, September 25, 2008
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