WESTWOOD AND 'SCOT' TULLO SET PACE ON 65 AT CASTLE STUART
FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Lee Westwood and Mark Tullo starred on day one of the Barclays Scottish Open at the new Castle Stuart Links near Inverness.
The 38 year old Westwood, who would regain the World Number One spot with victory, carded a seven under par opening 65 that made him the joint overnight leader with Chilean Tullo as The European Tour’s newest venue was treated to some scintillating golf amidst stunning scenery on the banks of the Moray Firth.
Westwood, who had a word with the watching Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson during his round, said: "I played well and it's a nice way to start the next two weeks.
"The more pressure I'm under this week the better," said Westwood after grabbing an eagle and six birdies.
"You're never quite sure what to expect when you come to a course that you've never played before.
"I did some nice work last week on the range and hit a lot of shots out there that I probably couldn't have hit two or three weeks ago."
He picked out a driver second to 12 feet on the 530 yard 12th - his third - and a two iron to four feet into the wind on the long 18th as shots that will boost his confidence for another tilt at a first Major title down in Kent.
Tullo, a graduate from last season's Challenge Tour, still has to qualify for The Open Championship.
One spot is up for grabs to the leading non-exempt player this Sunday providing he finishes in the top five and, if Tullo keeps making ten birdies in every round, it should be in the bag for the 33 year old.
The World Number 232 can already boast of a victory over Rory McIlroy - at last year's Egyptian Open.
“One of those days I guess you could say, you have some good bounces,” said Tullo. “This is links golf and you can't control anything. I actually had fun out there - I'm trying to smile more on the golf course.
“Sometimes I get fired up too easily but I'm trying to smile out there more. I had fun, I actually laughed off some good shots and laughed bad shots.
“I have no experience, but as I said, I hit the ball low, and I have good imagination and pretty good short game. So I don't want to talk too much, because maybe tomorrow, shoot a bad score. That's the whole thing, I enjoy playing out here and the wind and the bounces, so there's a lot of imagination into it.”
Tullo has also promised a traditional Scottish celebration on Sunday if he wins – he is trying to track down some Tullo clan tartan for a kilt.
“The funny thing is my dad said our name is Scottish, or he thinks it might be,” he added. “He thinks we have ancestors, from Scotland. I do wear skirts once in awhile so maybe it does come from out there. I do fancy skirts. But do they wear underwear?
“You guys have to help me find it. I can put a kilt on if you get me the tartan. “English father, Dutch mother. They met in Ireland in a bonfire. My dad was playing the guitar and he sang to my mother. He was trying to be the cool guy and I actually guess he did play the cards right. Dutch ladies are not easy to get, that's what I hear.
“He actually sang in Spanish, ‘Yo Tengo Unos Ojos Negres’. I won't sing it because my vocal cords are not the best. My dad was in England and my mother was in Holland, they kept dating, blah, blah, they got married in England, that's where my grandparents are from, and then moved to Chile eventually.”
Luke Donald is the player Westwood is trying to dethrone at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking and they might yet end up in a repeat of the play-off they had in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club in May.
After a slow start Donald came home in 31 for a five-under 67 matched by playing partner Colin Montgomerie.
Last year's Ryder Cup Captain, who has played in every Open Championship since 1989 and was runner-up to Tiger Woods at St Andrews six summers ago, was disappointed not to be two ahead of Westwood rather than two behind him.
He bogeyed the two holes - the third and ninth - he considers the easiest two on the new links.
Montgomerie was also six under with one to play, but a bad drive led to a closing bogey and so he is two behind the joint leaders.Padraig Harrington, last year's US Open Championship winner Graeme McDowell and Justin Rose all had 69s, while twice champion Ernie Els shot 68.
The most remarkable round was that of Scot Marc Warren. He started with a triple bogey 7, but then had seven successive birdies - one off The European Tour record - from the sixth and shot 67.
Westwood and Tullo were a stroke ahead of Ryder Cup Swede Peter Hanson, South African George Coetzee and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen, joint runner-up in the Alstom Open de France on Sunday.
Welshman Phillip Price carded the shot of the day - and had 168 reasons for enjoying his first competitive hole in one at the par three 11th.
The former Ryder Cup hero holed out with an eight iron – then learned that the 168 yards he covered in one sweet stroke would be rewarded with 168 bottles of Laurent-Perrier champagne.
He said: “This is a lovely prize, and I am sure my wife Sandra and I will enjoy the product. It was nice to make a hole in one in competition for a change and even better to watch it bounce once and drop into the cup.”
FIRST ROUND LEADER BOARD
Par 72
65 Lee Westwood (England), Mark Tullo (Chile).
66 Peter Hanson (Sweden), George Coetzee (S Africa), Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark).
67 Chris Wood (England), Barry Lane (England), Edoardo Molinari (Italy), Retief Goosen (S Africa), Jamie Donaldson (England), Luke Donald (England), Colin Montgomerie (Scotland), Richard Finch (England), Carlos Del Moral (Spain), Richard McEvoy (England), Marc Warren (Scotland), Peter Whiteford (Scotland), Scott Jamieson (Scotland).
SELECTED SCORES
68 Greig Hutcheon (Scotland), Ernie Els (S Africa) (T19)
69 Graeme McDowell (N Ireland), Padraig Harrington (Ireland) (T30).
70 Alastair Forsyth (Scotland), Martin Laird (Scotland), Richie Ramsay (Scotland), Steven O'Hara (Scotland), Stephen Gallacher (Scotland), Lloyd Saltman (Scotland) (T46).
71 Paul Lawrie (Scotland) (T69)
72 Gary Orr (Scotland) (T87)
73 David Drysdale (Scotland), Phil Mickelson (US) (T107).
75 George Murray (Scotland) (T129).
79 Sandy Lyle (Scotland) (last of 155).
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
CLICK HERE
EDITOR'S NOTE: Is Castle Stuart just a little bit on the easy side for the European Tour pros? Eighty-six players players got under the par of 72 and another 20 matched the par figure ... 106 players in a field of 155 scoring par or better.
I would have expected a tougher test from a new course which has been much heralded, perhaps too much hype. Maybe somebody should have told the King he wasn't wearing any clothes. Would 106 players have scored par or better at Carnoustie, Muirfield or Royal Troon today? I think not. That has to be the yardstick for a new Scottish links, surely?
WHAT'S YOUR VIEW? E-MAIL IT TO Colin@scottishgolfview.com
FIRST RESPONSE
Hi Colin
I play a bit of golf with Stevie Gallacher and he played the course for the first time about six weeks ago and commented that if the weather is calm then the pros would "RIP IT APART"
Like most places the weather is the major determining factor in how good or bad the scores are and I think todays scoring reflected this arguement - as in amateur events too
Stan Drews
Editor: All links courses need the "protection" of a wind but shouldn't the rough at Castle Stuart be more punishing, the bunkers more prolific and deeper and so on? For us, the Scottish Open is the fifth major - and the RandA never set up an Open venue that can be "ripped apart."
I feared the worst when I heard three weeks ago that a boy of 15 had gone round Castle Stuart in three under par. Today has confirmed those fears.
SECOND RESPONSE
Colin
I understand what you are getting at but from a spectator's point of view I prefer to see birdies and eagles rather than bogeys and more.
Remember how the fun and the roars have returned to Augusta following their decision not to make it easier as such but simply make it more playable. I am sure the spectators at Augusta have enjoyed it more with the good scores rather than some of the turgid affairs we had before with level par or just under par over 72 holes being the winning score.
D Neal Stewart
THIRD RESPONSE
Colin
I think the Castle Stuart designer needs to go back to the drawing board before next year's Scottish Open. They could have spared a lot of expense and got the same kind of scores by playing it at the muncipal Kings Links in Aberdeen.
J D C
Lee Westwood and Mark Tullo starred on day one of the Barclays Scottish Open at the new Castle Stuart Links near Inverness.
The 38 year old Westwood, who would regain the World Number One spot with victory, carded a seven under par opening 65 that made him the joint overnight leader with Chilean Tullo as The European Tour’s newest venue was treated to some scintillating golf amidst stunning scenery on the banks of the Moray Firth.
Westwood, who had a word with the watching Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson during his round, said: "I played well and it's a nice way to start the next two weeks.
"The more pressure I'm under this week the better," said Westwood after grabbing an eagle and six birdies.
"You're never quite sure what to expect when you come to a course that you've never played before.
"I did some nice work last week on the range and hit a lot of shots out there that I probably couldn't have hit two or three weeks ago."
He picked out a driver second to 12 feet on the 530 yard 12th - his third - and a two iron to four feet into the wind on the long 18th as shots that will boost his confidence for another tilt at a first Major title down in Kent.
Tullo, a graduate from last season's Challenge Tour, still has to qualify for The Open Championship.
One spot is up for grabs to the leading non-exempt player this Sunday providing he finishes in the top five and, if Tullo keeps making ten birdies in every round, it should be in the bag for the 33 year old.
The World Number 232 can already boast of a victory over Rory McIlroy - at last year's Egyptian Open.
“One of those days I guess you could say, you have some good bounces,” said Tullo. “This is links golf and you can't control anything. I actually had fun out there - I'm trying to smile more on the golf course.
“Sometimes I get fired up too easily but I'm trying to smile out there more. I had fun, I actually laughed off some good shots and laughed bad shots.
“I have no experience, but as I said, I hit the ball low, and I have good imagination and pretty good short game. So I don't want to talk too much, because maybe tomorrow, shoot a bad score. That's the whole thing, I enjoy playing out here and the wind and the bounces, so there's a lot of imagination into it.”
Tullo has also promised a traditional Scottish celebration on Sunday if he wins – he is trying to track down some Tullo clan tartan for a kilt.
“The funny thing is my dad said our name is Scottish, or he thinks it might be,” he added. “He thinks we have ancestors, from Scotland. I do wear skirts once in awhile so maybe it does come from out there. I do fancy skirts. But do they wear underwear?
“You guys have to help me find it. I can put a kilt on if you get me the tartan. “English father, Dutch mother. They met in Ireland in a bonfire. My dad was playing the guitar and he sang to my mother. He was trying to be the cool guy and I actually guess he did play the cards right. Dutch ladies are not easy to get, that's what I hear.
“He actually sang in Spanish, ‘Yo Tengo Unos Ojos Negres’. I won't sing it because my vocal cords are not the best. My dad was in England and my mother was in Holland, they kept dating, blah, blah, they got married in England, that's where my grandparents are from, and then moved to Chile eventually.”
Luke Donald is the player Westwood is trying to dethrone at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking and they might yet end up in a repeat of the play-off they had in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club in May.
After a slow start Donald came home in 31 for a five-under 67 matched by playing partner Colin Montgomerie.
Last year's Ryder Cup Captain, who has played in every Open Championship since 1989 and was runner-up to Tiger Woods at St Andrews six summers ago, was disappointed not to be two ahead of Westwood rather than two behind him.
He bogeyed the two holes - the third and ninth - he considers the easiest two on the new links.
Montgomerie was also six under with one to play, but a bad drive led to a closing bogey and so he is two behind the joint leaders.Padraig Harrington, last year's US Open Championship winner Graeme McDowell and Justin Rose all had 69s, while twice champion Ernie Els shot 68.
The most remarkable round was that of Scot Marc Warren. He started with a triple bogey 7, but then had seven successive birdies - one off The European Tour record - from the sixth and shot 67.
Westwood and Tullo were a stroke ahead of Ryder Cup Swede Peter Hanson, South African George Coetzee and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen, joint runner-up in the Alstom Open de France on Sunday.
Welshman Phillip Price carded the shot of the day - and had 168 reasons for enjoying his first competitive hole in one at the par three 11th.
The former Ryder Cup hero holed out with an eight iron – then learned that the 168 yards he covered in one sweet stroke would be rewarded with 168 bottles of Laurent-Perrier champagne.
He said: “This is a lovely prize, and I am sure my wife Sandra and I will enjoy the product. It was nice to make a hole in one in competition for a change and even better to watch it bounce once and drop into the cup.”
FIRST ROUND LEADER BOARD
Par 72
65 Lee Westwood (England), Mark Tullo (Chile).
66 Peter Hanson (Sweden), George Coetzee (S Africa), Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark).
67 Chris Wood (England), Barry Lane (England), Edoardo Molinari (Italy), Retief Goosen (S Africa), Jamie Donaldson (England), Luke Donald (England), Colin Montgomerie (Scotland), Richard Finch (England), Carlos Del Moral (Spain), Richard McEvoy (England), Marc Warren (Scotland), Peter Whiteford (Scotland), Scott Jamieson (Scotland).
SELECTED SCORES
68 Greig Hutcheon (Scotland), Ernie Els (S Africa) (T19)
69 Graeme McDowell (N Ireland), Padraig Harrington (Ireland) (T30).
70 Alastair Forsyth (Scotland), Martin Laird (Scotland), Richie Ramsay (Scotland), Steven O'Hara (Scotland), Stephen Gallacher (Scotland), Lloyd Saltman (Scotland) (T46).
71 Paul Lawrie (Scotland) (T69)
72 Gary Orr (Scotland) (T87)
73 David Drysdale (Scotland), Phil Mickelson (US) (T107).
75 George Murray (Scotland) (T129).
79 Sandy Lyle (Scotland) (last of 155).
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
CLICK HERE
EDITOR'S NOTE: Is Castle Stuart just a little bit on the easy side for the European Tour pros? Eighty-six players players got under the par of 72 and another 20 matched the par figure ... 106 players in a field of 155 scoring par or better.
I would have expected a tougher test from a new course which has been much heralded, perhaps too much hype. Maybe somebody should have told the King he wasn't wearing any clothes. Would 106 players have scored par or better at Carnoustie, Muirfield or Royal Troon today? I think not. That has to be the yardstick for a new Scottish links, surely?
WHAT'S YOUR VIEW? E-MAIL IT TO Colin@scottishgolfview.com
FIRST RESPONSE
Hi Colin
I play a bit of golf with Stevie Gallacher and he played the course for the first time about six weeks ago and commented that if the weather is calm then the pros would "RIP IT APART"
Like most places the weather is the major determining factor in how good or bad the scores are and I think todays scoring reflected this arguement - as in amateur events too
Stan Drews
Editor: All links courses need the "protection" of a wind but shouldn't the rough at Castle Stuart be more punishing, the bunkers more prolific and deeper and so on? For us, the Scottish Open is the fifth major - and the RandA never set up an Open venue that can be "ripped apart."
I feared the worst when I heard three weeks ago that a boy of 15 had gone round Castle Stuart in three under par. Today has confirmed those fears.
SECOND RESPONSE
Colin
I understand what you are getting at but from a spectator's point of view I prefer to see birdies and eagles rather than bogeys and more.
Remember how the fun and the roars have returned to Augusta following their decision not to make it easier as such but simply make it more playable. I am sure the spectators at Augusta have enjoyed it more with the good scores rather than some of the turgid affairs we had before with level par or just under par over 72 holes being the winning score.
D Neal Stewart
THIRD RESPONSE
Colin
I think the Castle Stuart designer needs to go back to the drawing board before next year's Scottish Open. They could have spared a lot of expense and got the same kind of scores by playing it at the muncipal Kings Links in Aberdeen.
J D C
Labels: EUROPEAN TOUR
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