PGA EuroPro Tour in Glorious Devon

Birdie bursts benefit Balmaseda

and Brooks at Bovey

By ANTHONY LEAVER
Carlos Balmaseda and Daniel Brooks both posted fantastic opening rounds of 63 to share the lead at seven under in the PGA EuroPro Tour’s Sureshot GPS International Open at Bovey Castle in Devon.
The Spaniard picked up four birdies on both front and back nines with just a single blemish on the 16th to lead by two shots on a day of fine scoring on the South Coast. Brooks (Mill Hill) didn’t drop a shot all day, going through the turn at two under par before picking up back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 then three more birdies in his last four holes.
Young South African Louis De Jager was part of Balmaseda’s three-ball and he is one of four players to share third spot two shots back at five under. The 22 year-old has enjoyed success on the Sunshine Tour and showed he could mix it in Europe too, going out level par after three birdies and three bogeys, but finishing strongly with three further birdies building up to an eagle at the last in his 65.
Llewellyn Matthews (Southerndown GC) joins De Jager after posting five birdies without dropping a shot, while Tom Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd) mirrored the South African’s effort with an eagle at the last seeing him post a 65 – which Mark Ramsdale (Formby GC) equalled late in the day with an eagle two at the fourth the highlight for him.
Last week’s event at Prince’s Golf Club in Kent was a tight affair and the early signs are that Devon holds much of the same in store with a cluster of players chasing at four and three under.
Jamie Elson (Forum Financial Associates), Paul Maddy (Gog Magog) and Jeremy Kavanagh (Stoke Park) carded four under rounds of 66 to lurk three shots behind Balmaseda, while Order of Merit leader and Sky Bet’s 12/1 favourite Steve Surry (Cumberwell Park) heads a pack of players at three under after the opening round.
The second round of the Sureshot GPS International Open begins at 6.30am on Wednesday morning. The full first round Leaderboard is available at http://www.europrotour.com/ by clicking on the Score Updates link, also home to live scoring.
LEADERBOARD
Par 70
63 Carlos Balmaseda (Spain), Daniel Brooks (England).
65 Louis de Jager (South Africa), Llewellyn Matthews (Wales), Tom Haylock (England), Mark Ramsdale (England).
66 Jamie Elson (England), Paul Maddy (England), Jeremy Kavanagh (England).

SCOTS' SCORES
Par 70
68 Mark Kerr
69 Barry Hume
70 John Gallagher
71 Graham Brown
71 Jack Doherty
71 Scott Jamieson
71 Zack Saltman
73 Lorne Kelly
74 Paul Doherty
75 Elliot Saltman
76 Shaun McAllister