Simon Thornton is off to a solid start at the Betfred British Masters at the Belfry, and sits just five shots off the lead after a round of level-par in his first DP World Tour start in two years.
And it could so easily have been two shots better, but for a flyer on the 16th that found the water hazard long of the green. It was a rough start for the Spa Head Professional who went bogey-bogey as nerves contributed to a couple of pushed tee shots, but birdies on three and four were the perfect response, and he’d trade one more birdie and bogey to reach the turn at level-par.
Two more birdies on 10 and 15 moved him to -2 and inside the early top 10, but disaster struck on the 16th as he found the left rough and overshot the green, ending up in the hazard at the back and eventually making a ‘six’. Two pars would see him sign for a more than respectable 72, ending the day tied for 46th but just five off the lead and three off the top five.
Tom McKibbin sits two further back after a Jekyll and Hyde opening round that saw him bogey three of the first six and five of the first 11. He got into his groove over the closing stretch, however, birdieing two of the final three, but he could’ve fought his way back to level-par were it not for two three-putts on 15 and 17.
Sitting in 98th, he’ll likely need a round in the 60s to ensure he sees weekend action, but he was in a similar position last week in Denmark and ended up with his seventh top-10 finish of the season.
Paul Waring posted a red-hot five-under-par back nine to grasp a share of the lead alongside Frenchman Jeong weon Ko.
The Englishman mixed a birdie with a bogey on the front nine but came alive after the turn, starting with four birdies in a row, to post a round of 67 and share a one-stroke advantage from South African Thriston Lawrence and Spain’s Jorge Campillo.
Waring, the 2018 Nordea Masters winner, highlighted the par four eighth hole as a turning point after finding the tight fairway at The Belfry before wedging it close and holing the putt for his first birdie of the day, which proved the catalyst for a fruitful day in England.
The 39-year-old matched the target set by Frenchman Ko, who similarly posted a level par front nine before attacking the back.
The 2022 Challenge Tour graduate carded birdies at the 12th and 13th before reeling off a trio from the 15th to take a share of the 18-hole lead for the second time in his DP World Tour career and season, having sat among a leading quintet at the ISPS HANDA – Championship in April.
Lawrence, who last week won the SunBet Challenge on the Sunshine Tour, and Campillo, who share third place on four under, sit one stroke clear of a group of 12 players in a share of fifth, including English quartet Laurie Canter, Tyrrell Hatton, Jordan Smith and Andrew Wilson.
Another Englishman, Todd Clements, celebrated his 28th birthday by recording the first hole-in-one of the week at the par three seventh. The effort by last year’s D+D REAL Czech Masters winner was one of 12 eagles recorded on day one, each worth £500 for Guide Dogs.
The current total raised following Wednesday’s Celebrity Pro-Am and Thursday’s first round stands at £14,000, with 16 players having driven the tenth green, in addition to the 12 eagles.
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