Sweden’s Martin Erlandsson holds a two stroke advantage at The Quinn Direct British Masters after he fired a superb nine under par 63 – a new course record – at The Belfry to overtake his fellow countryman Jarmo Sandelin and South Africa’s Richard Sterne at the top of the leaderboard.
Sandelin and Sterne are on seven under par after rounds of 65, while Denmark’s Sǿren Kjeldsen and France’s Raphaél Jacquelin are tied fourth after shooting 66.
England’s Ian Poulter fired a bogey-free round in his 67 to be in a share of sixth place with fellow countryman Simon Khan, and two more Swedes, Fredrik Andersson Hed and Henrik Nystrom.
Northern Ireland’s teenage prodigy, debutant Rory McIlroy, fired a bogey free 69 to announce his professional arrival on The European Tour in style.
But it was Erlandsson’s late charge through the field that turned the opening round of the tournament on its head – and he proudly said afterwards: “It is the best round of golf I have ever played.”
Having started at 1.40pm on the tenth, Erlandsson knew the target Sandelin had posted and duly got off to a perfect start, with a birdie on that hole. He added another on the 12th hole to go out in 34.
But an astonishing back nine of 29 strokes that included five birdies and an eagle, swept the 33 year old to pole position.
He said: “I’ve never shot a 29 before and it feels very special. I chipped in for an eagle on the third and that’s what got me up and running.
“My caddie reminded me all the time to stay focused and stay where you are and do what you can do. It was brilliant. The last month or so I've really turned my season around.
“From the Scandinavian Masters onwards, I had a couple of good Sundays with the scores building up. Those are very nice. And my card is very secure, so I can play. It's a very different game to play when you know you're 76th on the Order of Merit and can only get better. That's a good feeling.”
Sandelin was another Swede enjoying the fruits of his labours after his 65, which was even more noteworthy given exactly a week ago, he was bed-ridden.
He said: “To be honest, last Thursday afternoon, I couldn't walk. I had a big pain, back pain. I was in bed for Thursday night, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Something had happened with my back – the muscles were cramped up because I have been working out too much – but I had a really good treatment.
“The strange thing is that now when I go to the gym or just standing up, I'm asking, ‘what happened last week?’ Last week at this time, I couldn't walk. So I haven't done that much, and maybe that has been good; to appreciate to be healthy.”
Sandelin, who is due to become a father for the third time next week when his wife Linda is due to give birth, admitted he has struggled this season, after missing 13 cuts in 2007, but had found returning to The Belfry, where he finished runner-up last year, a confidence booster.
However, he is not setting any end of season targets as he tries to retain his card. “I've been in this situation obviously a few times now over the last four or five years, so I don't even think about that,” he said. “I have to think about just trying to hit good golf shots, that's it, and see where destiny takes me.”
South Africa’s Sterne, who has been operating on a reduced schedule during the summer and played in only four events since The Open Championship at Carnoustie, said: “I just needed a break. I can't play every week. I don't know how these guys play as many tournaments as they do. I try and play the least amount as possible. I'm not the biggest practiser and all that, so that's what I do and it seems to work. It would be nice to get another win before the end of this year.”
Kjeldsen, who was tied sixth at the Mercedes-Benz Championship last week, continued his good form and admitted his compatriot Sǿren Hansen’s victory was pushing him on.
He said: “Sǿren’s win has definitely inspired me. If you look at the past, when one of the other guys has won, we’ve come through as well, so I think it works for us. There’s another Scandinavian leaderboard here with Jarmo at the top, but it’s still early days.
“It was a good start. The key was I’ve been driving the ball very well and did again today. I did last weekend and again today. The greens were pure and I made a few putts too. Being out early was an advantage – I don’t think they will spike up too badly. I played the Pro-am yesterday afternoon and they were still perfect today. That makes scoring a little easier, but it is a tough golf course. There’s some good scoring out there.
And having had a first-hand view of McIlroy’s debut, Kjeldsen commented: “Rory played brilliantly. He’s got a lot of game and it’s hard to believe he’s only 18. He’s got a great future ahead of him, he’s a nice guy and I wish him luck. Of course, playing with someone so young takes you back to when you started out. You try and compare. I thought, ‘what was I like at 18,’ but I was nowhere near as good. But it will be interesting to follow his career and see how he does.”
Given his exploits at The Open Championship at Carnoustie, where he picked the Silver Medal, and his starring role at The Walker Cup, plenty more people felt the same. The media interest in McIlroy’s professional debut was vast. The 18 year old from Holywood was an early starter, going off at 7.50am from the famous tenth hole at The Belfry in the company of 1999 Open Champion, Scotland’s Paul Lawrie, and Kjeldsen.
His parents, his new manager, ISM managing director Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler, were among those watching McIlroy strike a six-iron off the tee and begin his new career.
Yet it was an experience the level-headed youngster took in his stride, and talking about his first round as a professional, he said: “It was okay – I wasn’t really as nervous as I was at The Open. I think my Mum was more nervous, but my Dad was okay.
“I just went out and played, strolled and hit a few good shots and holed a few putts. If I can keep doing that the rest of the week, I’ll be very happy.”
He added: “A 69 is a good score today. There’s a lot of crosswinds, so it’s quite tough to hold the fairways, so I’ll take it. I’m very pleased with the way I started.”
Ian Poulter was another very happy with his start and five under par 67. He said: “I am very pleased with that. It’s nice to go out and play good golf when you’re not expecting to do it. Hopefully, I can carry on for the rest of the week.
“It’s a big tournament, the Ryder Cup points have started, and decent world ranking points are available too, on a course I love to play. It’s 45 minutes from home, so I’m going to go back and have a cup of tea and a biscuit now!
“I have been feeling tired, as I said, I’ve done five weeks in a row. I don’t do that very often. My back’s sore and I didn’t play great in the pro-am, and there’s a lot going on in my mind, with the wedding next week. I had to ask myself if I was focused and prepared to win a golf tournament. At 7pm last night, I wasn’t ready to or feeling great. I was ready to go home.
“Emotions are emotions and sometimes if you don’t feel like playing, you’ll air your views, and I did with Paul my manager. But we had a good hour long talk and I decided I would play. I had a good night’s sleep last night, which was well-needed. We’re all tired – we’ve had a busy schedule, and to make no bogeys in my round is very refreshing. A 67 helps tremendously.”
