Aberdeen Senior Masters over 54 holes, report and scoresS

Robert Arnott, driving from the first at Meldrum House today

Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency

 Robert Arnott, Nick Job and Miguel Angel Martin share first-round lead on 66 (-4)

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Heard the one about the Scotsman, the Englishman and the Spaniard? Well, it's no joke! Robert Arnott, Nick Job and Miguel Angel Martin (pictured right)  all shot four-under-par 66 to share the lead at the end of the first round of the 54-hole Aberdeen Masters senior tournament at Meldrum House Golf Club, Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire.

England's Nick Job, 66 last month, matched his age with a sparkling, four-under-par round to share the lead with Spain's Miguel Angel Martin .
"I can't remember when I last won an event - 2005 or was it 2007? = he said after chipping in for an eagle at the 11th and birdieing the 10th, 16th and 17th for a share of the limelight. 
Job's last win on the Seniors Tour was actually 2008. He won the Scottish Seniors Open in 2005.

Miguel Angel Martin had earlier staged a grandstand finish to take the lead with a four-under-par 66

Martin, 53, had six birdies in all - the first, 11th, 12th ... and a 4-3-2 finish against the par of 5-4-2. His bogeys came at the 13th and 15th.

The man from Huelva, who would have played in the 1997 Ryder Cup match but for a wrist injury, had halves of 34 (one under par) and 32 (three under). 

Martin, a winner of a senior event in Spain last year, said: "I came to Scotland early enough to play two practice rounds and I am glad I did. It helped a lot.

"It is a course where you have to drive the ball straight, and I did. My putting was good and my short game also so I am very happy with a 66. I like the course. It suits me."

Martín  started out as a caddie and turned professional in 1981. He has been a member of the European Tour for more than twenty seasons and in 2005 he became the first Continental European golfer to make 500 appearances on the tour. 
 His best finish on the Order of Merit was 17th in 1996 and he has won three European Tour events. He was also a member of the winning Spanish team at the 2000 Alfred Dunhill Cup.
In 1997 Martín earned a spot in the European Ryder Cup team via the money list, but was forced to withdraw after failing to recover in time from a wrist injury sustained in July.
Bishopbriggs' Robert Arnott was the last offif the co-leaders to step up for a share of the pole position.
He had six birdies -  fifth, seventh, eighth, 11th, 16th and 18th in halves of 33
Arnott bogeyed  the third and the 12th.
Fourteen players in all got under the par of 70, including Andrew Oldcorn and David James, the Senior Golf Tour chief executive, both on 69.
The Senior Golf Tour, which stages tournaments all over Europe,  is open to professionals who have passed their 48th birthday and also to  Category 1 amateurs. It is also a lot easier to gain membership of it than is the case with the European Seniors Tour for the 50s and over.
Heavy rain is forecast to start falling during the night and continue all day Tuesday. There is a worry that no play will be possible tomorrow and that the tournament may be cut to a two-rounder.
It's a case of fingers crossed and wait and see.

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Martin's 66 put him at the head of the field, demoting the long time leader,  Paul Streeter who had a 67
Forty-nine in November, Streeter is too young to play on the European Senior Tour, but he fits the bill for the Senior Golf Circuit which is open to professionals and Category 1 amateurs who have passed their 48th birthday.

He has come to the North-east from Newark in Nottinghamshire for his second outing on the Senior Golf Circuit, of which Scot David James is the chief executive and driving force.

The first outing? Streeter won that with shots to spare at Donnington Grove. So he is looking to maintain his 100 per cent winning record at the £33,360 Aberdeen Masters - first pro prize £5,000
The tournament is the brainchild of Meldrum House GC member and Thistle Windows chief executive Nick Robson, Thistle Windows are the main sponsors. Robson is playing in the event as an amateur. He had a 74.

And Paul, one of the early starters on a beautful sunny morning - Tuesday's forecast is for torrential rain! - was quickly into his stride with a three-under-par 67 (35-32), despite four-putting three times from about 20ft.
"I had six birdies - two of them 2s -  and three bogeys all with three putts and I also three-putted a par-5 green after getting home in two shots," said Streeter who had only one practice round over the parkland course of which 15 blue tees and three black tees (the ones farthest back) are being used for this 54-hole event in which there is no cut.
"Paul drove the ball well, which you have to do to score well at Meldrum House," said playing partner Kenny Hutton (Downfield) who had a 71.
Streeter's birdies came at the first, short sixth, short 10th, long 11th, 13th, and the par-4 17th which he drove and two-putted. His bogeys were at the second, fourth and 15th. 
Former PGA champion Andrew Oldcorn (pictured below) from Edinburgh posted a one-under 69 round at about 2.45pm but he was far from happy with his round.

"I putted poorly; only one three-putt but I gave myself so many birdie chances and holed very few," said Oldcorn.
"So I am left feeling very frustrated. Having said that, I don't think there will be a lot of birdie putts holed so I should be happy with a 69. One under par is better than one over par." 
Oldcorn was three under par for Tthe four holes round the turn. He birdied the seventh, ninth and short 10th in halves of 34-35.
He had no other birdies but bogeys at the fourth and 13th.
Tim Spence later joined Oldcorn on the 69 mark with halves of 34-35

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ABERDEEN MASTERS
 Meldrum House Golf Club, Oldmeldrum

FIRST-ROUND SCORES

Par 70
66 Miguel Angel Martin, Nick Job, Robert Arnott

67 Paul Streeter
68 Santiago Luna, John Harrison, Simon Brown, James Berry.
69 Andrew Oldcorn, Tim Spence, David James, Adrian Firman, Jose Manuel Carriles, Paul Broadhurst, Jon Bevan
70 David Shacklady, George Ryall, Philip Price, Bill Longmuir, Nicky Gold

71 Kumar Kami, Kenny Hutton, Laurie Turner, Terry Lawrence, Paul Affleck, Ronan Rafferty
72 David Russell
73 Neil Marr, Campbell Elliott, P Moultrie, Nick Mitchell, Colin Gillies, Pedro Linhart, Malcolm Mackenzie

74 Gary Stewart, Mark Wharton, Jose Romero, Nick Robson, Bob Cameron, Gary Potter, James Murphy, Stephen McAllister, Scott Davidson, Steve Cipa

75 Mike Reynard, Gordon Brand, Mark Booth, Fraser Mann. Graham Banister
76 Tony Stevens, Doug Young, Barry Brooks, Brian Marchbank, Marc Farry, Matt Briggs, Barrie Stevens, Tomi Tirkkonen.

77 Mark Spooner, John McBride, Dave McDowell, Charles Haynes.

78 Allan Jarrett, Gary Pike, Duncan Williamson, Pieter van Doorne, Andy Campbell, Shaun Ball
81 Peter Ridley
82 Roger Roper, Mark Gammell
83  Matt Dale 
84 Gary Ross, Patrice Kalita 
89 Marcel Capaul
NR Mike Best 

           Nick Job matched his age with round of 66
                    Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency