Steven Tiley claimed a share of the British Challenge presented by Modest! Golf Management lead after carding a five under par round of 67 on day one at St. Mellion Estate.
Tiley carded six birdies and just one bogey to set the early target, which was then matched by Sweden’s Simon Forsström who birdied two of his final three holes.
Englishman Tiley took advantage of benign morning conditions to move to the top of the leaderboard and believes the Nicklaus Signature Course suits his game due to the conservative strategy required from the tee.
“I played nicely today,” he said. “It’s a tough course where you have to keep it in play, and I think that suits my game. We had good conditions today and I’m very happy with my round.
“I hit it pretty straight and try to keep the ball in play. The par fives aren’t reachable in two shots because they’re so narrow and everyone is laying up to the same spot with 100 yards left in. My wedge game has always been strong so I feel I can utilise that this week.
“There were times where I got lucky today. On the second hole I pulled it left and managed to save par but overall, I hit some great shots and got rewarded for that.”
Tiley has been in impressive form with two top five finishes in his last four starts on the Road to Mallorca and admits a change in his mental approach has enabled him to produce his best golf in recent weeks.
“I have been getting into the right mindset recently,” he said. “Over the last month I have been trying to enjoy my golf a little bit more, building up my social media profile and giving some online lessons. This has relaxed me a lot and given me a source of income away from tournament golf.”
The duo lead by one ahead of Englishmen Matthew Baldwin and Ben Schmidt, German Maximilian Schmidt, Iceland’s Haraldur Magnus and Irishman Tyler Hogarty.
New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier, Englishman Paul Maddy and Irishman Conor Purcell share eighth place on three under par, while eighth players are a shot further back in 11th including Denmark’s Martin Simonsen and Spaniard Eduard Rousaud.
The second round will get under way at 7:45am local time, with Tiley teeing it up alongside Frenchman Félix Mory and Swede Oscar Lengden at 1:05pm.
