Costantino Rocca showed his liking for the North West of Ireland Open when he defied high winds gusting at 40mph to shoot a one under par 71 at Ballyliffin Golf Club to lie in a five-way tie for the lead after the opening round.
In the worst of the conditions when wind and rain swept across the magnificent Glashedy Links, Rocca stood firm to post the early target. It was not until late in the day when the winds had started to ease that he was joined at the top of the leaderbaord by Spain’s Jesus Maria Arruti, fellow Italian Massimo Florioli, Sweden’s Anders Forsbrand, and Allan Hogh of Denmark.
Rocca, who captured his fifth and last European Tour title when he won the inaugural North West of Ireland Open at Galway Bay in 1999, adapted to the tough conditions superbly and could have lead on his own but for three dropped shots in the last four holes.
Using all the imagination and shot making skills which helped him to finish second in the 1995 Open Championship at St Andrews after a play-off with John Daly, the 45 year old, the oldest player in the field, posted five birdies, including three in succession from the second, his 11th.
“Some holes were very hard,” said the three time Ryder Cup player. “When you play a 120 yard five iron and have to hit the ball very low, it is very difficult. You just have to try to keep your timing and keep the ball in the right place.
“I hit the driver very well on the front nine. When I missed it was okay. Just have to stay calm and hit it shot by shot.. I am not like the young players and can’t hit 400 yards but I play my game. And my game here is good and suits the wind.”
Playing partner and fellow Ryder Cup player Andrew Coltart was full of admiration for the way Rocca negotiated the tight fairways on the superb Glashedy Links.
“Tino played fantastic,” said Coltart. “It was great watching him. He had a great knack of how to play. You don’t hit any full shots out there. Full shots are just going to get blown about all over the place. It is all three quarter punches where you hardly follow through. Just bunting the ball down the fairway and bunt the next one in the general direction of the green. Tino had that pretty much down to a tee out there. It was unfortunate he let a couple go coming in. But he was very good.”
Coltart himself shot an opening four over par 76 in his quest to regain some form and climb up both the Volvo Order of Merit and the World Rankings. Coltart was relishing the chance to play links golf this week and the strong winds had done nothing to diminish his enthusiasm.
“That’s the great thing about this game. You have to use your imagination and summon up wonderful shots and play loads of different shots. That kind of thing makes it a lot more interesting than just plodding down the middle and then to the green.”
Forsbrand, who won the last of his six European Tour titles in 1995, rolled in four birdies with just the three bogeys to match Rocca’s score of 71.
“It was tough,” said Forsbrand. “When I hit bad shots I got decent lies and managed to hole a few putts. If you stay away from bogeys you can do well. It is a course where you will make at least a couple of birdies but when it is that windy it is hard. Every hole is hard out there. There is not one let up. It is a great golf course but it is hard. And when it blows like that it is tough. You need to play well and get lucky.”
Rookie Allan Hogh, winner of the Danish Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the last two years, started with a chip in from 40 feet on his second hole, the 11th, and followed that with a birdie at the next hole and never looked back to post an opening 71 in only his second European Tour event.
Arruti bounced back from a double bogey on the 15th, his sixth, with five birdies over the closing ten holes and held the outright lead before bogeying the last after finding sand. Florioli added his name to those at the top of the leaderboard with the help of three birdies in the space of four holes at the end of his front nine, the back nine on the course.
