EUROPEAN SENIOR MASTERS

SAM HAS A NIGHTMARE START AT WOBURN
Pre-tournament favourites Sam Torrance and Mark James face a massive salvage job after finishing the first round of the European Senior Masters at Woburn on a combined total of nine over par.
James, who beat Torrance in a play-off to win this event last year, had just one birdie in an opening round of four over par 76 to end the day 10 shots off the lead held by Spain's José Rivero, who had a brilliant 66.
Faring even worse was Torrance, the European Seniors Tour No. 1, who faces a massive challenge following a 77 that contained five birdies, four bogeys and three double-bogeys.
James said: "If I don't shoot 66 or better tomorrow then I am toast and I'd say Sam is in the same position. I can't believe the pair of us scored like we did: you would have thought that one of us could have ground out a level par round."
Torrance has made a habit of starting slow this year, but it has not prevented him from winning four times - and twice in the past two weeks.
"Everything went wrong today. I seem to like setting myself even bigger challenges," said Torrance in reference to starting with a 76 at last week's Charles Church Scottish Seniors Open and then coming through to win by one.
The Scot's troubles today started when he blocked his first tee shot into the trees and made bogey. Worse was to follow at the next. After flying his seven-iron approach over the green, Torrance was faced with an atrocious lie and in trying to move a nearby twig, his ball moved and he was penalised a stroke before going on to make a double-bogey 6.
Sam never recovered from this horror start and eventually signed for a five over par 77, which leaves him languishing in 58th place in a field of 73 golfers.
Lenzie's Mike Miller, who followed up his third place finish in the Charles Church Scottish Seniors Open at Dalmahoy with a round of 73, shares the honour of being the leading Scot with Eyemouth's Craig Maltman.

FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD

66 José Rivero (Spa).
69 Pete Oakley (US), Horacio Carbonetti (Arg)
70 Luis Carbonetti (Arg), Juan Quiros (Esp)
71 Angel Fernandez (Chi), Bob Lendzion (US), Stewart Ginn (Aus), Rodger Davis (Aus), Gery Watine (Fra), Ian Mosey (Eng), Guillermo Encina (Chi), Manuel Piñero (Esp), Paul Leonard (NIr), David J Russell (Eng), Bruce Heuchan (Can), Denis O'Sullivan (Ire)
72 Denis Durnian (Eng), Glenn Ralph (Eng), Bobby Lincoln (SAf), Terry Gale (Aus)
73 Simon Owen (NZ), Noel Ratcliffe (Aus), Mike Miller (Sco), Carl Mason (Eng), Gordon Townhill (Eng), Bertus Smit (SAf), Craig Maltman (Sco).
74 David Creamer (Eng), Gavan Levenson (SAf), Neil Coles (Eng), Eamonn Darcy (Ire), David Good (Aus), Bill Longmuir (Sco), Jerry Bruner (US), Tony Johnstone (Zim), Alan Tapie (SAf), Victor Garcia (Esp), John Chillas (Sco), Tony Charnley (Eng), Jean Pierre Sallat (Fra), Malcolm Gregson (Eng).
75 Martin Poxon (Eng), Doug Johnson (US), Ray Carrasco (US), Martin Gray (Sco), Kevin Spurgeon (Eng), Bob Larratt (Eng)
76 Alberto Croce (Ita), Jim Rhodes (Eng), Jeff Hawkes (SAf), Peter Teravainen (US), Mark James (Eng), Maurice Bembridge (Eng), Liam Higgins (Ire)
77 Adan Sowa (Arg), John Mashego (SAf), Sam Torrance (Sco), Delroy Cambridge (Jam), Jimmy Heggarty (NIr), Mike Ferguson (Aus)
78 Kurt Cox (US), Nick Job (Eng), Rigoberto Velasquez (Col), Emilio Rodriguez (Spa).
79 Rex Caldwell (US), Bob Shearer (Aus), Craig Defoy (Wal) .
81 Gordon J Brand (Eng) .
82 Antonio Garrido (Spa).