Cameron off to a scorching start in Brunei

By STEVE TODD
European Seniors Tour Press Officer
England’s Bob Cameron got the new European Senior Tour season off to a red hot start with a stunning 67 to take a one stroke lead after the first round of the Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum.
The 56 year old carded six birdies in scorching conditions at The Empire Hotel and Country Club to finish the day on four under par, a shot ahead of Scotland’s Ross Drummond and American Pete Oakley, who posted a hole in one with his five iron tee shot at the seventh hole.
Cameron birdied the second hole in a solid front nine before turning up the heat after the turn with five birdies in six holes from the tenth onwards.
Indeed his round could have been even better had it not been for back-to-back bogeys on the last two holes, which reduced his margin at the top of the leaderboard.
However, despite that finish Cameron, who finished 16th in the 2008 Order of Merit, was more than happy with his start to the new campaign as he looks to go one better than his second place in last season’s curtain raiser, the DGM Barbados Open.
He said: “I’m delighted with four under par in the first tournament in the new Senior Tour calendar. I was very nervous towards the end with the two bogeys on 17 and 18 but I was over the moon with the birdies on ten, 12, 13, 14 and 15.”
“It’s so hot out here so I’m really trying to acclimatise and drink plenty of water and stay in the shade. The Pro-ams really helped as essentially this was my third round on the course.
“The balls weren’t running far and the golf course is very wide but it’s a good start. It only takes about 20 or 30 minutes out there before you get really hot.”
The 52 year old Scot eagled the third hole before dropping consecutive shots on the seventh and eighth holes. He then posted a hat-trick of birdies starting on the 11th hole to finish on three under par 68, one stroke behind Bob Cameron who opened with a 67.
Drummond, who finished 17th in the 2008 Senior Tour Order of Merit, said: “I was really happy with a 68, even more so because I didn’t play particularly well. I missed a few greens but I managed to keep it together. I got an eagle on the third but I thought I’d lost it after the bogeys on seventh and eighth but I managed to keep myself motivated and now I’m really happy with my start.”
Compatriot Sam Torrance, who won the 2008 season ending OKI Castellón Open España – Senior Tour Championship, opened with a level par 71 while two-time Major winner Sandy Lyle began with a one over par 72 – the same score as Senior Tour debutant Mike Harwood and Italian Costantino Rocca.
FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Par 71
67 B Cameron (Eng)
68 R Drummond (Sco), P Oakley (USA)
69 J Hall (Eng), M Cunning (USA), C Chun-Hsing (Tpe), K Spurgeon (Eng), C Sang-Ho (Kor),
70 K Tomori (Jpn), G Levenson (RSA), D Merriman (Aus), B Ruangkit (Tha), G Cali (Ita), S Ebihara (Jpn), G Ralph (Eng), B Boyd (USA), S Ginn (Aus), A Murray (Eng)
71 S Torrance (Sco), J Bruner (USA), M Williams (Zim), B Lincoln (RSA), D Good (Aus), T Allen (Eng), P Dugeny (Fra)
72 C Rocca (Ita), I Mosey (Eng), M Harwood (Aus), M Briggs (Eng), S Lyle (Sco), J Hawkes (RSA), P Brostedt (Swe), J Quiros (Esp)
73 G Banister (Aus), M Ramayah (Mas), B Smit (RSA), J Heggarty (NIr), M Miller (Sco), P Harrison (Eng), J Lapsley (Nzl), A Tapie (USA), A Franco (Par), J Chillas (Sco), N Ratcliffe (Aus), D Johnson (USA), G Watine (Fra)
74 J Hoskison (Eng), A Barrera (Arg), G Brand (Eng), N Job (Eng), E Rodriguez (Esp)
75 M Poxon (Eng), B Gallacher (Sco), G Ryall (Eng), B Fung (Sin)
76 S Stull (USA), B Longmuir (Sco), A Garrido (Esp), T Gale (Aus), S Owen (Nzl), T Giedeon (Ger)
77 D Cambridge (Jam)
78 B Jones (Aus), A Sowa (Arg)
79 M Piñero (Esp), M Clayton (Aus)
80 L Carbonetti (Arg), B Hardwick (Can)
81 T Charnley (Eng), V Garcia (Esp)
82 D Russell (Eng)
83 A Sim (am) (Bru)
86 H Abdullah (am) (Bru)
190 D Durnian (Eng)