WONDERFUL WESSELINGH'S 64 GIVES 

HIM ONE-SHOT LEAD

Liverpool-born Paul Wesselingh is not counting his chickens after taking the lead with a

        six-under-par 64 at Meldrum House. Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

On the opening day of the Senior Golf Circuit's £50,000 Aberdeen Senior Masters, when 30 players scored under the par of 70, past PGA Cup player Paul Wesselingh trumped them all early in the evening with a superb round of 64, six-under-par for the Meldrum House Hotel's parkland course at  Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire.

"I'm only one ahead despite an eagle and seven birdies, so I'm certainly not counting my chickens this early," said the 54-year-old Liverpool-born who has won more 14 times as a pro and seven times on the European Senior Tour, which is for players aged 50 and over, in contrast to the independend Senior Golf Circuit, masterminded by Scot David James, which is for pros and amateurs aged 48 and over.

"I played beautifully out there but I know the capabilities of the guys tucked in behind me, and anyone of them could shoot the lights out over the last 36 holes.

For the record - preferred lies were in operation, so there could not be one - Wesselingh had an eagle 3 at the long fifth, and birdies at the first, second, third, ninth, 12th, 16th and 17th in halves of 31 and 33.

He three-putted for bogeys at the fourth and seventh and missed from 2 1/2 ft for another bo,gey at the short 15th.

"The last time I won an event? That was the Welsh Senior Open at Celtic Manor in 2015 so, yes, I am due a win."

Tim Spence, pictured right, from West Sussex is Wesselingh's closest challenger overnight with a 65 (31-34).
Spence had an interesting theory about why the scoring in general was so low.
"Preferred lies had something to do with it but the fairways at Meldrum House are so wide too, with the result that bad drives are not punished as much as they should be," he said.

Stephen McAllister kept the home flag flying with a 66 (34-22), which included a double bogey at the sixth and a glorious bag of eight birdies.

The Scot is joint third on four-under 66.

Leading amateur is home-course man Nick Robson, pictured on the first tee today, an Aberdeen business man who loves competitive golf and is co-sponsor of the tournament with Meldrum House Hotel and Gym Rental.

Nick's 68 (33-35) had birdies at the first, seventh, eighth and 16th but bogeys at the sixth and 10th.

Jorge Berendt (Argentina) had a hole in one with a six-iron at the short third hole.

FIRST ROUND SCORES
par 70
64 P Wesselingh (Eng)
65 T Spence (Eng)
66 J Sandelin (Swe), S McAllister (Sco), D Shacklady (Eng), P Streeter (Eng)
67 S Brown (Eng), P Baker (Eng), B Conser (USA)
68 J Hoskison (Eng), D MacDougall (Sco), J Murphy (Eng), P Price (Wal), N Robson (Sco) (am), T Thelen (USA), P Linhart (Spa), S McNally (Eng), P Broadhurst (Eng), J Cheetham (Eng), P Parker (Eng)
69 A Mackenzie (Sco), J Harrison (Eng), C Dennis (USA), C Hunsucker (USA), J Romero (Spa), M Foster (Eng), S Ball (Eng), P Woodward (Eng), J P Sallat (Fra), C Monasterio (Arg).
70 K Hutton (Sco), K Kami (Nepal), A Oldcorn (Sco), S Dodd (Wal), S Van Vuuren (SAf), J Laforce (Fra)
71 M Wharton (Eng), F Mann (Sco), S Savage (Sco), L Carbonetti (Arg), L Turner (Eng), D Pearce (Eng)
72 M Briggs (Eng), P Affleck (Eng), N Mitchell (Eng), A Firman (Eng), R Arnott (Sco), J-M Buendia (Spa), N Sweet (Eng), C Monk (Eng), G Wall (Aust), A Franco (Arg), C Suneson (Spa)
73 M Field (Eng), M Reynard (Eng), T Lawrence (Eng), J Nouges (Arg), M Dagenais (Can), S Shaw (USA), S Spooner (Eng), G Cooper (Sco) (am)
74 C Blackmore (Wales), G Banister (Aust), D Narveson (Can), M Richardson (Eng), M Mielke (Fra), B Brooks (Sco) (am), S Davidson (Eng), K Tenmark (Swe), G Joyner (Aust)
75 W McQueeney (Sco), M Dale (Eng), N Gold (Sco), J Berendt (Arg)
76 N Marr (Sco), X Naudet (Fra), K El Baradie (Swi), B Rollinson (USA), D Thomson (Sco)
77 S Jensen (Eng) (am), G Shoesmith (Eng), K Tarling (Can)
78 R Briars (Eng), P Puisset (Fra)
79 G Ross (Sco) (am), P Kalita (Fra), S Puzey (USA), A Campbell (Sco) (am), R Lane (Eng)
80 C Linstead (Eng), M Macara (Wales), A Rogers (Eng), S S Pantong (Swi), D Forsyth (Sco) (am)
82 D Young (Eng), G Bikindou (Fra).
83 T Bouba (Cameroons)
84 D Bell (Sco) (am), N Betts (Eng)
85 M Capaul (Swi).
86 I Skidmore (Eng)
88 J Capre (Fra), C Munoz (Spa) (am)
94 J Gamarra (Arg)

(am) denotes amateur

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE A SELECTION OF ACTION PICTURES FROM THE FIRST TEE THIS MORNING