Law goes low to lead at Close House

A spectacular birdie blitz saw David Law claim a one shot lead after the opening round of the 2020 Betfred British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood.

The 29-year-old from Scotland made seven gains in the space of eight holes from the sixth and, with no bogeys on his card, went top of the leaderboard with his seven under 64.

England's Oliver Fisher and Garrick Porteous and Italy's Renato Paratore share second on six under, with all three taking advantage of afternoon conditions that proved conducive to lower scoring.

“I was quite steady away,” said Law, who picked up his maiden European Tour title in Australia last year.

“I wasnt really sure what to expect coming into today after the long break but I was delighted with that.

“It's a little strange obviously but the tour have done a fantastic job, so far it's gone really well, the club have hosted this really well.

“It's a new time for us, for everyone, we're all learning and we're all getting used to it but on the whole I think the whole week has been very positive.”

Law had missed four cuts on the spin before the coronavirus pandemic caused a four-month break in the season and admitted the time off had been beneficial.

“We've been lucky at home, not having anyone affected by the illness thankfully,” he added. “I've got a daughter who is 19 months old, so to have that extended time at home - I'll never get that again probably - so we had a great time.

“It was a nice time for me because I wasn't playing the best going into that break, so it was a good time to recharge and reboot.”

Fisher and Porteous both overcame a bogey at the second with seven birdies, with the former making a gain from ten feet at the last, while Paratore carded a bogey-free round.

Canada's Aaron Cockerill, Portugal's Pedro Figueiredo and Denmark's Rasmus Højgaard share fourth on five under, while tournament host Westwood signed for a one under 70.

“It was a bit of a struggle,” said Westwood. “I didn’t really have control of my swing.

“I mis-clubbed a few times, which is probably not acceptable being a member and the touring pro here. But I putted really well and ground it out.

“I felt like I had to make a lot of putts between four and eight feet all day, I rolled a couple of nice ones in and I think one under par is probably a really good score for the way that I played.”