Gary Evans, hailed as the new rising star of European golf when he arrived on Tour in 1992, finally hinted that he may yet fulfil that early promise by shooting a blistering course record 62 in the German Open at Sporting Club Berlin.
The 30 year old from Worthing took a four stroke lead over the field with his 10 under par score, shaving four shots off the course record which had been equalled by Alex Cejka of Germany earlier in the day.
It was Evans’ lowest score on the European Tour by two shots and earned him a healthy advantage at the end of a superb opening day at the Nick Faldo-designed course.
He smiled: “I have no idea where that round came from. I wasn’t even going to play this week. I was going to withdraw and take two weeks off to work on my game. However my wife, Sam, talked me into playing and treating the week like a holiday. She came here with our daughter, Olivia, and it just happened.”
Evans admitted he had “been in the doldrums” between 1993 and 1995 after being plagued by a wrist injury which necessitated surgery at the end of 1994.
However after his 10-birdie round, which had symmetrical halves of 31, Evans couldn’t wipe the smile of his face. He added: “I’ve been a bit stressed recently. We’re moving house and Sam is trying desperate to get me to relax a bit more. She is obviously doing a good job.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be the Nick Faldo or Bernhard Langer that the press thought I would be because I’ve lost too much time, but I can certainly have a good run at it.”
Evans tops the leader board ahead of a trio of players on 66 – Cejka, Greg Turner of New Zealand and Jorge Berendt of Argentina.
Cejka had injured himself one hour before teeing off in the Benson and Hedges International Open and was forced to withdraw. After treatment for a muscle problem in his fifth vertebrae, he is now free from pain but still not quite 100 per cent.
He said: “Stretching and massage helps. I am okay again but I still feel it in the mornings. I hope it is going quickly but with injuries you never know.”
Four players are on 67 – Roger Wessels and Retief Goosen of South Africa, Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen and Robert Jan Derksen of Holland.
