EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR

Andrew McArthur shoots an eight-under

63 to share the lead in France

FROM PRESS OFFICER RODDY WILLIAMS
Glasgow’s Andrew McArthur fired an eight under par 63 to share the first round lead with Frenchman Alexandre Kaleka in the Challenge Tour's ALLIANZ EurOpen de Lyon in France today.
McArthur, a former US college circuit player and past Scottish amateur champion from Windyhill, got his round going with an eagle three on the third at Golf du Gouverneur and thereafter didn’t put a foot wrong as he added a further six birdies to join rookie Kaleka at the top of the leaderboard.
“I just hit it lovely,” said McArthur. “I didn’t hole many long putts, just hit it close all day. The greens are soft so you can fire the ball at the pins. I hit it quite well today so it is a step in the right direction.”
McArthur has made two top tens this season to lie 29th on the Challenge Tour Rankings and is looking to force his way into the top 20 to earn a European Tour card. In summing up his season to date, he said: “I feel I have been playing well and not scoring. It’s hard as you keep coming off with 32 or 33 putts. And when I have got in a decent position I have thrown in a double and couldn’t get it going. But the course was there for the taking today. Conditions were perfect.”
Kaleka made a flying start to his professional career having only joined the paid ranks on Monday after representing France in the European Amateur Team Championships in Wales last week. He wasted no time in making his mark with a stunning 63 which established the course record before being equalled by McArthur.
The 22 year old, from Orleans on the outskirts of Paris, said: “That was quite a start. I hit a lot of fairways and only missed one green, hit all the par fives in two and holed seven or eight very good putts. I didn’t expect to shoot so low in my first round as a professional and I will try and keep it going.”
Kaleka hopes to play a number of events before the European Tour Qualifying School where he will attempt to win his card. Among his amateur highlights was finishing second in the European Team Championships at Western Gailes in Scotland three years ago when France were denied by an Irish team which included Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, both now European Tour Champions.
Denmark’s Anders Schmidt Hansen lies third after a round of 64 with Australian Tony Carolan, Ireland’s Michael McGeady and Frenchman Anthony Grenier a further shot back.

Round One scores
Par 71
63 A Kaleka (Fra) , A McArthur (Sco)
64 A Hansen (Den)
65 M McGeady (Irl) , T Carolan (Aus), A Grenier (Fra)
66 G Houston (Wal) , B Mason (Eng) , A Snobeck (Fra), G Paddison (Nzl)
67 J Little (Eng) , J Grillon (Fra) , R Muntz (Ned) , A Zanini (Ita) , A Gee (Eng) , F Praegant (Aut) , P Golding (Eng) , C Günther (Ger) , S Manley (Wal) , R Santos (Por) , V Dubuisson (am) (Fra)
68 J Moul (Eng) , M Kramer (Ger) , J Arruti (Esp) , E Molinari (Ita) , J Lima (Por) , B Lecuona (Fra) , B Hebert (Fra), F Calmels (Fra)
69 D Nouailhac (Fra) , R McEvoy (Eng) , J Parry (Eng) , Z Scotland (Eng) , C Russo (Fra) , C Brazillier (Fra) , S Davis (Eng) , R Hie (Ina) , N Meitinger (Ger) , R Harris (Eng) , J Heath (Eng) , A Bernadet (Fra)
70 C Suneson (Esp) , S Juul (Den) , T Cruz (Por) , B Evans (Eng) , M Quiros (Esp) , S Bebb (Wal) , L Saltman (Sco) , R Steele (Eng) , A Willey (Eng) , B Miarka (Ger) , M Villegas (Col) , D Griffiths (Eng) , M Curtain (Aus) , C Rodiles (Esp) , M Zions (Aus) , L Bond (Wal) , J McLeary (Sco) , M Cort (Eng) , L Gagli (Ita) , J Colomo (Esp) , G Rosier (Fra) ,
71 T Feyrsinger (Aut) , J Campillo (Esp) , R Thuillier (Fra) , P Rowe (Eng) , O David (Fra) , L Alexandre (Fra) , A Wagner (Arg) , N Pamard (Fra) , A Högberg (Swe) , A Bruschi (Ita) , J Garcia Pinto (Esp) , L James (Eng) , J Bjerhag (Swe) , L Westerberg (Swe) , R Karlberg (Swe) , M Higley (Eng) , G Molteni (Ita) , C Moriarty (Irl) , J Quesne (Fra) , P Whiteford (Sco) , J Lando-Casanova (am) (Fra) ,
72 J Morgan (Eng) , J Morrison (Eng) , S Saavedra (Arg) , M Mills (Eng) , G Boyd (Eng) , P Relecom (Bel) , R De Sousa (Sui) , R Coles (Eng) , A Butterfield (Eng) , E Ramsay (Sco) , R Swane (Ned) , J Sjöholm (Swe) , P Del Grosso (Arg) , D Denison (Eng) , F Cupillard (Fra) , R Guillard (Fra) , J Clément (Sui)
73 D Marmion (Eng) , J Billot (Fra) , M Mauret (Fra) , N Beaufils (Fra) , J Zapata (Arg) , F Fritsch (Ger) , J Garcia Fernandez (Esp) , J Burnier (Sui) , S Luna (Esp) , J Guerrier (Fra) , J Van Hauwe (Fra) , B Pettersson (Swe) , D Antonelli (am) (Fra)
74 J Boerdonk (Ned) , F Cabrera (Arg) , M Tullo (Chi) , R Zwahlen (Fra) , D Küpper (Ger) , D Froreich (Ger) , A Mörk (Fra) , A Summers (Aus) , V Riu (Fra) , G Murray (Sco) , S Delagrange (Fra) , N Vanhootegem (Bel) , L Kennedy (Eng) , R Treis (Ger) , M Crespi (Ita) , T Lopez (Fra) , A Malinvaud (am) (Fra)
75 O Suhr (Den) , T Schuster (Ger) , M Montgaillard (Fra) , P Niederdrenk (Ger) , J Ruth (Eng) , F Colombo (Ita) , J Sallat (Fra)
76 F Schoettel (Fra) , E Moreul (Fra) , M Reale (Ita) , N Colsaerts (Bel) , I Pyman (Eng) ,
77 M Hill (Fra) , R Eyraud (Fra) , N Fox (Irl)
78 G Plumet (Fra), Å Nilsson (Swe) , T Ferreira (RSA) , M Saluda (Pol)
79 D Perrier (Fra), A Haindl (RSA), M Stelmasiak (Pol)
80 S Henry (Sco)
83 M Pilkington (Wal), G Ruste (Fra)