Longmuir, Oldcorn in hunt at

Woburn


By RODDY WILLIAMS
European Tour website editor and senior press officer
Scots Bill Longmuir and Andrew Oldcorn are well placed to mount a weekend challenge in the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters after opening rounds of 69 left them just three shots off the pace at Woburn.
Longmuir, the leading British golfer on the Senior Tour Order of Merit in sixth place, benefitted from a recent lesson from David Howell’s coach Clive Tucker as he bounced back from two early bogeys to post a three under par round.
Indeed his rollercoaster round saw him make three bogeys countered by an impressive eagle, when he holed a putt of over 50 feet, and four birdies.
He said: “I went for a lesson with Clive Tucker as I’d lost a lot of my length this season. But he had a look, pointed out a few things and I was hitting it miles today so that’s all thanks to Clive.”
Longmuir is joined three shots behind leaders Des Smyth and Carl Mason by compatriot Oldcorn who is showing glimpses of the form that saw him win on The European Tour, most notably at the PGA Championship at Wentworth Club in 2001.
He said: “I played with Des today and he will be very tough to beat if he carries on playing like that. But I’m feeling better and it’s great playing in front of such big crowds. I chipped in on the fourth and the noise was amazing – it feels like a main tour event out there.”
Smyth and Mason, a two-time winner of the event, shot matching rounds of 66 in front of a packed house to lead another Englishman Roger Chapman by one with former Masters Champion Ian Woosnam of Wales and England’s most capped amateur of all-time, Gary Wolstenholme, on four under par.
It was particularly impressive for Wolstenholme on his Senior Tour debut after an amateur career which saw him win 70 titles worldwide, win over 200 caps for England and win two Amateur Championships.


FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Par 72
66 D Smyth (Irl) , C Mason (Eng) ,
67 R Chapman (Eng) ,
68 G Wolstenholme (Eng) , I Woosnam (Wal) ,
69 B Longmuir (Sco) , A Oldcorn (Sco) ,
70 A Sowa (Arg) , D Durnian (Eng) ,
71 M Cunning (USA) , P Fowler (Aus) , B Lincoln (RSA) , J Heggarty (Nir) , J Quiros (Esp) , S Owen (Nzl) , J Rivero (Esp) , B Cameron (Eng) , B Lane (Eng) ,
72 D Merriman (Aus) , E Darcy (Irl) , C Williams (S Africa) , T Johnstone (Zim) , B Ruangkit (Tha) , G Brand junior (Sco) , D Russell (Eng) , H Carbonetti (Arg) , J Hall (Eng) , D O'Sullivan (Irl) , G Cali (Ita) , B Smit (SAf) , M Belsham (Eng) , M Farry (Fra) ,
73 M Harwood (Aus) , J Gould (Eng) , D Cambridge (Jam) , A Murray (Eng) , J Bruner (USA) , S Torrance (Sco) , G Banister (Aus) , T Charnley (Eng) , L Carbonetti (Arg) ,
74 R Drummond (Sco) , I Mosey (Eng) , P Barber (Eng) , P Mitchell (Eng) , J Harrison (Eng) , E Rodriguez (Esp) , M Gray (Sco) , K Spurgeon (Eng) , M Poxon (Eng) , S Cipa (Eng) , P Oakley (USA) , J Cañizares (Esp) ,
75 M Miller (Sco) , G Ryall (Eng) , A Fernandez (Chi) ,
76 T Giedeon (Ger) , N Ratcliffe (Aus) , F Mann (Sco) , N Job (Eng) , J Hoskison (Eng) , D Hospital (Esp) , S Bennett (Eng) ,
77 G Ralph (Eng) , M Clayton (Aus) ,
78 C O'Connor Jnr (Irl) , V Garcia (Esp) , M Piñero (Esp) ,
79 G Brand (Eng) , E Polland (Nir) , J Chillas (Sco) , J Rhodes (Eng) , M Bembridge (Eng) , T Burgoyne (Sco) ,
80 A Garrido (Esp) , M Williams (Zim) ,
81 D Johnson (USA) , A Johnsson (Swe) ,