EXTENDED REPORT FROM SPAIN

Play it again, Sam! Good start with a 67

in Castellon Senior Tour championship

By STEVE TODD, Seniors Tour press officer
Sam Torrance’s hopes of winning a third European Senior Tour Order of Merit were boosted by a five under par round of 67 in the OKI Castellόn Senior Tour Championship to lie three strokes behind first round leader Angel Franco.
Torrance needs to finish in at least the top four, and hope Ian Woosnam is down the field, to be in with a chance of winning the John Jacobs Trophy he claimed in 2005 and 2006.
The Scot, who is defending his OKI Castellόn Senior Tour Championship title, posted six birdies – including one on the final hole - and just the single bogey on the 11th hole.
Torrance, pictured, finished five strokes better off than Order of Merit leader and fellow former Ryder Cup winning Captain Ian Woosnam, who carded a level par round of 72 following back-to-back birdies on the final two holes.
“There was some good scoring out there today and I’ve started well,” said Torrance. “It was nice to end on a birdie when I hit it close and it was a good day all round.
“It’s always nice to come back to a place you have done well as you know you can do it here and I’ve started confidently.
“I know I probably have to finish either first or second so it’s a good start and we’ll see what we can do.”
Fellow Scot Ross Drummond, who is searching for his maiden Senior Tour title, posted a flawless six under par round of 66 to lie two strokes behind Franco and one behind Australian Mike Harwood.
Gordon Brand junior posted a 68 while John Chillas opened with a round of 69.
Angel Franco boosted his bid to break into the top ten on the European Senior Tour Order of Merit with a flawless eight under par 64 to lead by one stroke.
The Paraguayan carded the lowest round of his Senior Tour career, with five birdies on a superb front nine to reach the turn in 31 before picking up a further three shots on the 11th, 12th and 18th holes.
Franco finished 11th in last year’s Order of Merit and finds himself in the same position this season, following another consistent campaign in which he has had five top ten finishes.
The 51 year old has finished runner up five times in his Senior Tour career - including twice this season - but is determined to go one better at Club de Campo del Mediterráneo.
“It was another good round of golf. I played well and putted really well which is important for a good score,” he said.
“I hit a lot of good shots and had some luck. On the front nine I holed some long putts which gave me lots of confidence, the longest being on the 12th hole from 15ft.”
The luck Franco was referring to included a drop shot on the 17th hole – which he went on to par – after his mammoth 320yd drive finished up behind a toilet. With a knee injury also troubling him, Franco might need a little more good fortune but he is optimistic this could be the week he breaks his duck.
He said: “I’m going to have surgery on both knees next month and I can’t walk very well. It affects me a lot on my driving and long irons as I can’t rotate my leg but I hope I can keep this form up for the weekend. I really want to win on this wonderful Tour. I have lots of faith and believe I can.”
Franco has a one-shot advantage over Mike Harwood, who continued the form that saw him win the Australian Senior Open a fortnight ago as he carded a seven under par 65.
The Australian fired nine birdies, including a spectacular run when he holed four consecutive putts from more than 20ft.
Harwood is looking to end his maiden Senior Tour campaign on a high, with third place in the DGM Barbados Open back in March his best finish so far.
The 50 year old said: “Considering I don’t know the course and the amount of travelling I’ve done in the last two weeks, I was quite amazed I pulled it together, as mentally I felt not with it.
“I putted fantastic today and my short game was electric. I didn’t play super tee-to-green but my short game was amazing.
“Winning the Australian Senior Open bred confidence and I’ve fed off it. I’ve been searching for that all year.
“I was free-wheeling it a bit today. I didn’t find the course that easy. I know the kids on the European Tour had some ridiculous scores round here a couple of weeks ago but I’m not a great iron player so the par 3s were tough for me.
“It’s just nice to be in contention again though. On the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth I made four putts from 20ft and I don’t do that very often. I’m really good from inside ten feet but hopeless from outside so to make those putts four times in a row and right in the middle was unbelievable.”
Ian Woosnam, who leads the Order of Merit, fought back from a difficult start to finish with back-to-back birdies to get to level par but is eight shots off the lead after four bogeys and a double bogey in his round of 72.

FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
64 A Franco (Par)
65 M Harwood (Aus)
66 R Drummond (Sco), D Smyth (Irl)
67 S Torrance (Sco), J Bruner (USA)
68 D O'Sullivan (Irl), C Mason (Eng), G Brand junior (Sco) ,
69 J Bland (RSA), C Rocca (Ita), L Carbonetti (Arg) , J Chillas (Sco) , J Heggarty (NIr) , G Brand (Eng), P Mitchell (Eng), J Rivero (Esp)
70 N Job (Eng), M Piñero (Esp), M Clayton (Aus), G Ralph (Eng)
71 T Johnstone (Zim) , J Quiros (Esp), B Longmuir (Sco) , D Hospital (Esp) , R Chapman (Eng) , B Cameron (Eng)
72 E Darcy (Irl), I Woosnam (Wal) , E Rodriguez (Esp) , A Murray (Eng) , M Cunning (USA) , K Tomori (Jpn), C Williams (RSA)
73 K Spurgeon (Eng) , D Merriman (Aus)
74 G Cali (Ita)
75 B Smit (RSA)
76 V Garcia (Esp), D Cambridge (Jam) , B Lincoln (RSA)
80 G Hopkins (USA)