British Masters: Justin Rose led the pace on the first day of the Betfred British Masters, living up to his pre-tournament predictions.
The world No. 31, the top-ranked player in the competition, scored a seven-under-par 65 with eight birdies and one bogey to take a one-shot lead over former Ryder Cup teammate Jamie Donaldson.
Donaldson, who won at Gleneagles in 2014, birdied five of the final six holes in his 66, with Yannik Paul of Germany, English amateur John Gough, James Morrison, and Sebastian Garcia of Spain all on four under.
“I felt very comfortable with my game from the first shot,” Rose, who won the British Masters in 2002 and hosted the event last year, said.
“I hit a beautiful little wedge into the 10th hole, birdied it, and that was probably the cleanest round of golf I’ve played in a long, long time.
“I drove the ball really well, the irons hit pretty cleanly, and I hadn’t made many putts on the front nine to be four under, so it was nice to make a few coming in.
“It all amounted to a very good day’s work.”
Donaldson was one under par after 12 holes before adding strokes on the 13th, 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th.
“Nothing was going in, it was all a bit slow at the start, and suddenly it all kicked in on the back nine,” the 47-year-old Welshman explained. “Five in six holes to finish, that’s incredible.
“I was just trying to be patient. At the end, there were a number of downwind holes, which made it easier to have birdie opportunities and play a few great shots.”
“The top three players on Sunday evening who are not already exempt will win a spot in next month’s Open Championship,” according to Donaldson.
“I intend to compete in the qualifier at West Lancs next week, but it would be fantastic to do it here and avoid having to play 36 holes in one day. I have a long way to go, but I am determined to compete in the Open. In three days, I need three more equivalent rounds.”
Paul presently has an automatic Ryder Cup qualifying spot and overcame a back ailment that knocked him out of last week’s BMW International on home turf to record an opening 68.
“Sometimes when the expectations aren’t as high, your acceptance if you hit bad shots is better,” said Paul, who won his first DP World Tour victory last season in Mallorca.
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