For a man who admits he does not enjoy playing in the wind, Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth acquitted himself well in the gusts at Gleneagles, a superb two under par 70 good enough to give him a share of the first round lead with fellow Scot Marc Warren and Australia’s Brad Kennedy in The Diageo Championship.
With the average score for the day on The PGA Centenary Course standing at 76.6, it was little wonder the three leaders were delighted with their showing which left them a shot clear of three players, Spain’s Ivo Giner, England’s Iain Pyman and Gustavo Rojas of Argentina, the only six from the field of 156 to break par.
The last time the first round of a European Tour event was led with a score not in the 60s was in the last year’s windswept North West of Ireland Open at Ballyliffin where five players tied on 71, and it was a measure of the toughness of the first round conditions in the heart of Scotland that that statistic was repeated.
Apart from his tie for third place in the Dubai Desert Classic, the 2003 season had been solid if not spectacular for Forsyth so it was understandable that the winner of the 2002 Carlsberg Malaysian Open was delighted with his showing.
“I’m delighted with that because I would have jumped at the chance of shooting that when I saw the weather this morning,” said Forsyth. “I played great, made very few poor shots and drove the ball really well which was crucial because you don’t want to go in the rough here.
The 27 year old did drop two shots, at the fifth and the tenth, but more than made up for that with birdies at the second, eighth, 15th and 18th, the latter a magnificent curling 60 foot wind-assisted effort.
“You would think being Scottish and growing up in conditions like this I would be used to it and be good in it, but I just don’t like getting blown about – because I’m tall as well, I just don’t feel comfortable hitting shots in it.
“But I was pleased with my attitude today. I hoped last night that the wind would die down but when I saw it this morning, I knew everybody was going to drop shots so I just tried to stay positive and I managed to do that.”
Moving alongside Forsyth was Challenge Tour Member Brad Kennedy, who produced his best performance in a European Tour event earlier this year when he was tied second in the Carlsberg Malaysian Open.
Like Forsyth, Kennedy, who celebrated his 29th birthday yesterday, dropped two shots but made up with it with four birdies, three of them coming in a purple patch from the 14th to the 18th holes, the highlight being at the 17th where he holed his bunker shot.
“It went great today, I’m really pleased at how I hit the ball today and my decision making was good at the right times,” he said. “There were points where I wanted to really go for certain greens and pins but I did well to stop myself.
“It is not really what I am used to after playing in Australia and Japan for the last three years but I enjoyed it. It was a real test with the wind blowing like that. There are some shots that the wind might change direction while the ball’s in flight – but it’s the same for everyone so you can’t complain.”
The last man to join the leaders was Marc Warren, the very last player on the course, who birdied his final two holes, the eighth and ninth, to post a superb 70.
“It was my second professional event here last year and in that time I think my game has developed in every department,” said Warren. “I think that showed today because all parts of my game were strong and they had to be, you can’t afford any weaknesses in conditions like that.”
Of the trio in third place, the best nine holes was posted by Pyman, the five time Challenge Tour winner recovering superbly from an uncertain front nine of 38 to birdie three of the last four holes to be home in 33.
Amongst the group of players who found the sanctuary of the clubhouse with cards of level par 72 were defending champion Adam Scott, who had the misfortune of four-putting his final hole, the ninth, Zane Scotland in his professional debut, and tournament debutant Colin Montgomerie.
After missing the cut in The Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open and The Daily Telegraph Damovo British Masters before finishing tied 42nd in last week’s US Open Championship at Olympia Fields, the seven time Volvo Order of Merit winner admitted he was delighted at a return to his old form.
“That was a real battle and one of the best 72s I’ve put together for a long time, it’s a very good start,” said Montgomerie. “I said yesterday that I thought I’d turned the corner last week and I came here to try and win and to do well – hopefully I can build on that tomorrow.
“I was pleased with the way I concentrated today. It was very tough because it was slow with a lot of balls being lost and a lot of balls being looked for. The rough is very penal and I had four or five bunker shots which I got up and down from which was really good.”
