Michael Campbell provided the experience among a cosmopolitan leaderboard logjam after the first round of the Smurfit European Open at The K Club. The New Zealander carded a five under par 67 to finish alongside Norway’s Henrik Bjornstad, Holland’s Maarten Lafeber, Sweden’s Mikael Lundberg and Massimo Scarpa of Italy.
Campbell, who has won four times on The European Tour International Schedule, showed why with a blistering start in sunkissed conditons in County Kildare, rattling in five birdies in his first eight holes.
The assault on the venue for the 2005 Ryder Cup Matches started at the opening hole where he rolled in a eight footer for birdie three and he repeated the feat at the second from half the distance.
A 30 footer followed at the long fourth before two ten foot efforts at the fifth and eighth holes completed his haul. The 32 year old had chances on the back nine but had to settle for nine straight pars.
It was a good start and the first eight holes were pretty special,” he said. “I lipped out on the third from ten feet and again on the sixth and seventh so it could have been a really great start. But I’m tied for the lead so I can’t complain.
"I consider myself the old school now - I've been out here for six or seven years. We have the new faces coming up as well which is good to see and it is good for The European Tour as well."
The winner of the Heineken Classic in Perth at the beginning of February also put the satisfactory opening down to a late equipment switch.
“I changed my clubs today for the first time in four years to the Callaway X14s,” he said. “I found the grooves were a bit worn on my old set so I decided to get some new ones. I changed my ball as well to one that spins a bit less and I can’t complain with either.
Alongside Campbell were two players who figured prominently in the early stages of last week’s Murphy’s Irish Open at Fota Island, Massimo Scarpa and Henrik Bjornstad.
Exactly a week ago Bjornstad opened with an identical five under par effort – then of 66 – before slipping back while Scarpa carded a 67 before recording his first professional hole in one during the third round on his way to a share of 20th place.
The 31 year old Italian could not quite reproduce that stroke of genius at The K Club but, nevertheless, once again proved his liking for short holes, birdieing three of the four par threes on offer with putts ranging in length from three to 25 feet.
“I did play the par threes very well – I hit some good shots,” said Scarpa. “My putting stroke was really good today as well even though I three putted the last for a par five. That can happen sometime but I am playing good golf just now.”
Bjornstad made one more birdie than Scarpa to counteract his only dropped shot of the day at the second hole and admitted his current good run of might well inspire the burgeoning golf scene back in his homeland.
time we will see some good players coming through.”
Fellow pacesetter Mikael Lundberg was flawless in his 67, his card sprinkled with five birdies, while Maarten Lafeber, winner of the Qualifying School in 1997 but who has missed eight of the last nine cuts, dropped shots at the first and 17th but recovered impressively with seven other birdies.
Amongst a group of players one shot behind on 68 were the 1998 Champion Mathias Grönberg and two of the pre-tournament favourites, Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke, who continued the form of last week which saw the Scot win the Murphy’s Irish Open and the Irishman finish in a tie for second after a superb final round 64.
Both had identical flawless rounds featuring four birdies, the only difference being the fact that Montgomerie made his main move on the front nine, birdieing the first, second and the sixth, while Clarke profited on the back nine, carding red figures at the 13th, 15th and 18th.
“That round was very important,” said Montgomerie. “To come off any win is great but that is no good if you then throw in a couple of 74s and go home early from here. That’s no use – you have to try and build on that and that’s what I’m trying to do this month.”
Clarke was equally pleased with his opening effort and although it was a long way from the scintillating 12 under par 60 he carded in 1999, the Ulsterman admitted the course had been toughened up in the past couple of years.
“Certainly the rough wasn’t as severe then as it is now and with the trees the way they are now, some of the lines I took a couple of years ago, you can’t take them now,” he said.
“The course is set up so that it rewards keeping it on the fairways and getting it on the greens. After I got off to a good start I was still giving myself chances but at the same time, I had to make sure I was getting it on the fairways otherwise I would have dropped shots.”
New US Open champion Retief Goosen, who played with Campbell, opened with a three under par 69 to remain well in the hunt while defending champion Lee Westwood, who completed the headline three ball of the opening round, started with a 71.
