Gary Murphy carded a one-over 73 as England’s Paul Streeter took a two-shot lead after he fired a brilliant 65 on the first day of the Riegler and Partner Legends at Golfclub Murhof, Austria.
K Club Head Professional Murphy fired four birdies in an encouraging opening round but he was unable to keep mistakes off his card with five bogeys blighting his effort.
All told, Murphy sits in a tie for 35th, eight back of Streeter who defied the chilly and windy conditions to rack up eight birdies, including a run of four on the bounce from the 9th, and just a single bogey on the par-3 13th.
The two-time Legends Tour winner, who was a talented footballer in his 20s and turned professional in golf at the age of 31 off a handicap of plus three, was delighted with his start.
“I just played really good tee-to-green and capitalised on the par-5s. I hit it on three of them in two comfortably and the other one I was in a greenside trap. I hit it close and holed a few putts, which was nice. The greens are absolutely pure.
His four birdies around the turn were vital: “You’ve got back-to-back par-5s at 9 and 10, and if you get a good tee shot away, they’re in range. I hit it fairly close on 11 and then a bit of a bonus holing a 20-footer. To get that little run smartens the card up.”
Streeter’s nearest challengers are Adilson da Silva and Keith Horne on five-under-par. Last year’s Barry Lane Rookie of the Year winner da Silva went bogey-free, while Qualifying School winner Horne made the ideal start to his rookie Legends Tour season with birdies at the first two holes.
There is a group of eight players tied for 4th on four-under-par, including Michael Campbell 2005 US Open winner Michael Campbell, two-time DP World Tour winner Michael Jonzon and Germany’s Thomas Gögele.
There will be a re-draw for round two with players teeing off in reverse leaderboard order.
Visit HERE for a full list of tee times, live scoring and more information about the Riegler and Partner Legends.
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