A bogey, double-bogey start to a round is hardly what you’d call an early morale booster but after a potential “train wreck” Craig Lee got himself back on track with a spirited one-under 71 in the first round of the wind-ravaged Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.
The 39-year-old Stirling man covered his first two holes in 12 shots – a five and a seven – but the repair job was as handy as nipping into Kwik Fit. A purposeful surge of three birdies in four holes from the third, which included a raking putt of some 30-feet at the fifth, helped batter out the dents caused by that stumbling start as Lee responded to that damaging set back with purpose. “I wasn’t quite thinking about packing my suitcase and heading down the road after that start but I knew it was going to be a bit of a slog ahead of me,” said Lee.
Having broken into the top 60 on the European rankings in 2013, Lee has spent the last couple of seasons scrambling to save his tour card. At 117th on the Race to Dubai this year, the former Tartan Tour player is steeling himself for another nail-nibbling end to the campaign. A good finish in his homeland this week would provide a good springboard.
“We’re halfway through the season and this is where you start to put a bit more pressure on yourself,” added Lee, who is still suffering with a niggling wrist injury which has required a steroid injection and may even need surgery. “The first aim is to get the card secured as soon as possible.”
On a day of damage limitation, David Drysdale, Richie Ramsay and Jack Doherty all posted steady level-par 72s to finish on the fringes of the leading 20 alongside US-based compatriot, Russell Knox. “On the second hole, I had 111 yards to the pin and hit an 8-iron,” said Ramsay as he highlighted the vagaries of golf in a gale. “Then on the eighth I had 208 yards and hit a smooth 8-iron. That shows how strong the wind was. It was almost 100 yards difference.”
Marc Warren, third in the Scottish Open in 2012, began with a one-over 73 while Alastair Forsyth, the two-time European Tour champion who earned his place in the field at last weekend’s qualifier, endured a torrid time and his 83 included the debris of two double-bogey sevens.
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