TITLE-HOLDER'S HAT-TRICK DREAMS SHATTERED

          James Byrne on the 18th green in his opening round of 84 at the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre
       Northern Open championship at windy Murcar Links. Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency

JAMES BYRNE HAS NIGHTMARE 84
 
Defending champion James Byrne's dreams of becoming the first man since Eric Brown in the 1950s to win the Northern Open three times in a row turned into a nightmare on the first day of the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre-sponsored £35,000 72-hole championship at a windy Murcar Links.
Byrne, who had several shanks, struggled round in 13-over-par 84, the low point of which was a 9 at the par-4 ninth.
"I shanked the ball with an iron off the tee on to the beach. Eventually lost that ball," said Bangkok-based Byrne who set the low Northern Open aggregate record at Meldrum House last year when he retained the title he won at the same venue in 2012.
"A strong wind, narrow fairways and deep rough add up to a very tough test and I think that anyone scoring par of thereabouts will lead at the end of the day," said James who had a hole in one at the fifth in Monday's curtain-raising pro-am
Byrne required 44 blows for the first nine holes with a first shot shed at the long fourth, followed by a double bogey 6 at the sixth and then that quadruple 9 at the par-4 ninth
Things did not get much better after the turn. He had a double bogey 5 at the short 13th and single shots dropped at the 13th, 15th and short 16th before he gained his only bogey of the day - a 3 at the 17th. He bogeyed the 18th for 40 shots home.
"I'm afraid I just didn't play very well at all," said Byrne who is in serious danger of not making the cut which will reduce the field to the leading 36 players and ties at the end of Round 2.
Playing partner Kenny Hutton, winner of a PGA senior title earlier in the season, was one of Byrne's partners. The Muir of Ord man returned a 75 with birdies at the first, short 12th, long 14th and 18th. He had three double bogey 6s - at the sixth, 11th and 13th in halves of 39 and 36.
The third member of that first group off the tee at 8am was host club pro Gary Forbes. He had it going for him with 36 to the turn but he bogeyed the 13th, double-bogeyed the 17th and had a quadruple bogey 8 at the 18th.
"I was the only one playing golf out there for a spell. But I just lost my concentration over the last few holes. I can hardly believe I finished 6-8 (six over par for the two holes)," said Gary.
Scott Henderson (Kings Links), winner of the Northern Open in a gale-force wind on the last day at Cruden Bay in 1996, took over the early clubhouse lead at Murcar Links with a three-over par 74.
"It's like a British Open links on a smaller scale out there. We are playing off the back tees today and it makes a very big difference," said Scott.
"But you dare not take your driver off the tee because you are very likely to lose balls if you miss the fairway, the rough is so punishing.
"Just no point in risking a driver in these difficult windy conditions. If you miss the fairways you can be in deep trouble."
Henderson birdied the second, 15th and 16th in halves of 36 and 38.

Jason McCreadie's 69, returned about 3.30pm, demoted 54-year-old Edinburgh-born Stephen Craig, who lives at Carnock near Dunfermline since his return to Scotland after 30 years in Germany.

Craig, pictured right, shot a 72 by hitting most of the fairways and avoiding the penal round. Choking down on a driver, he steered his ball down the middle most of the time.

"I hit the ball quite solidly and had two birdies and three bogeys. It's tough out there with the wind and the rough but I liked it," said Craig

"I haven't played in the Northern Open since 1992, when it was also here at Murcar. I've been over there in Germany since then but I've come back home to get back into playing the game."