Surprise package Stuart Manley got a kick out of his Open debut at Royal Birkdale – then revealed how he used to put the boot into former Celtic star Craig Bellamy.

Welsh journeyman Manley, 38, conjured an eagle, birdie finish yesterday to briefly top the early leaderboard with a two-under 68 in his first appearance in the game’s oldest Major.

Manley, who was a Walker Cup winner with GB&I as an amateur ace back in 2003, was a promising footballer as a youngster and had trials with Manchester United and Crystal Palace before focussing on golf.

In his native Wales as a teenager, Manley used to go toe-to-toe with future stars Michael Owen and Bellamy, who would go on to have a brief five-month stint with the Hoops in 2005.

He said: “I shouldn't really say it, but he (Bellamy) was a bit of a horrible git. He was nasty. I was a centre half and he was a striker. I gave him a few kicks and he wasn't happy. He was just like that all the time.

“Some people say I should have stayed in football and gone professional or whatever but deep down I didn't believe I was good enough. Nowhere near good enough. And I didn't really enjoy it; I thought it was too much pressure. And I loved golf so much. Every time a game was cancelled, I'd be like, great, I can go practice and play golf with my friends. I loved golf. I didn't really like football. It just got too pressurised, you know? The enjoyment came out of it. I think I was pushed into it too much.”

Manley, who was struggling with a heavy cold, warmed himself up with a neatly assembled round in tough conditions and illuminated his card with an eagle on the 17th where he holed out from the bunker.

He added: “I didn't take too many risks. I didn't feel like I had my game with me. I didn't warm up too well. So I thought, ‘okay, this is the game I've got, I'm just going to have to plot my way around’. It seemed to work. I just tried to make par on every hole and then capped it off with a great finish.”