Henry 71, Lee 77 in EuroPro

Tour Championship

Scott Henry, pictured, five shots off the pace, is the leading Scot after the first day in the biggest event of the 2010 PGA EuroPro Tour season.
The Marfin Popular Bank EuroPro Tour Championship features only players ranked inside the top 60 on the Order of Merit and is being staged at Aphrodite Hills Golf in Paphos, Cyprus.
A successful event in Cyprus could clinch the players a spot on next year’s Challenge Tour where they would be only one level away from joining the golfing elite on the European Tour.
Henry is in joint 19th position after returning a one-over-par 71, five shots behind the three men who share the lead on 66 -
Nicky Harris (Whitefield GC), Jeremy Kavanagh ( Stoke Park ) and James Hepworth (Ilkley GC).
Harris claimed birdies at the third, fifth, 14th and 18th, while Kavanagh and Hepworth will be rueing dropped shots that would have gave either of them an outright lead.
The trio sit one shot ahead of Daniel Perrett (Clevedon GC) in fourth and two ahead of James Heath, Kevin Harper ( East Devon ) and Noel Fox in tied fifth.
Craig Lee, the only other Scot in the field apart from Scott Henry after the withdrawal of Lloyd Saltman, had a disappointing day at the end of whch he was in joint 46th place after a seven-over-par round of 77.
In previous seasons, the players who finish the campaign in the top five on the EPT Order of Merit advance to the Challenge Tour.
However, seven players from the 2010 EuroPro Tour will move up to the Challenge Tour. Daniel Gaunt (winner of a Challenge Tour event earlier in the year) and Craig Lee (guaranteed a place in the top 80 of the Challenge Tour money list) have already secured their spots at the higher level.
Matthew Evans and James Hepworth are guaranteed high finishes on the EPT money list so three spots are still up for grabs.
Nick McCarthy is currently fourth in the Order of Merit and needing a good competition but lies tied 29th after a day one score of two-over.
Other Challenge Tour contenders include Ian Keenan (+1), James Busby (Evens), Paul Maddy (+2), Gary Wolstenholme (+2) and Zane Scotland (+3).
There is no cut in the Marfin Popular Bank EuroPro Tour Championship so all of the players will play a second round on Friday and the final round on Saturday.

For more information about the PGA EuroPro Tour, visit the official website www.europrotour.com


LEADING FIRST-ROUND SCORES
Par 70
66
Nicky Harris Whitefield GC
Jeremy Kavanagh Stoke Park
James Hepworth Ilkley GC
67
Daniel Perrett Purplegolf.com/Clevedon GC
68
James Heath Robert Heath Heating
Kevin Harper East Devon
Noel Fox
69
Brian McElhinney Team Ireland
Brendan McCarroll JFG Acadamie
Daniel Belch Hillside GC
George Woolgar Capitalservices.com
Graeme Clark Doncaster GC
Stuart Archibald ClaimsJustice.co.uk
Matt Allen
Selected scores:
71 Scott Henry (jt 19th).
77 Craig Lee (jt 46th).
Withdrew
Lloyd Saltman.

TO SEE ALL THE FIRST-ROUND SCORES
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