Gary Orr recorded an opening round of 64, six under par, to dominate on day one at the MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles at Constance Lemuria.
The Scotsman stormed to the top of the leaderboard following a bogey free six under par front nine to lead by four strokes at the European Tour Destinations venue.
Orr, who won back-to-back Staysure Tour events at the Scottish Senior Open and Paris Legends Championship last year, displayed the type of golf that saw him clinch his first titles in 18 years as he opened his round with five consecutive threes, including birdies at the first, third and fourth holes.
The momentum continued with further gains at the par five fifth before he reached the turn in 28 strokes after picking up shots on the eighth and ninth holes.
As one of the few competitors to play in trousers in the scorching Seychelles heat, the conditions showed no sign of troubling Orr as he bounced back from two dropped shots with gains on the par three 15th and 17th.
Having not played for a couple of months due to back pain, Orr was delighted to take the lead at the picturesque Constance Lemuria.
“I’m happy with that round,” he said. “I played well, and it puts me in a good position for the next couple of days.
“I wasn’t expecting much going out and I didn’t know what to expect because I haven’t played for a few months, so to start with five threes was a good start.
“It’s that type of course where you need to play well on the front nine as the difficult holes are from 13 to 18. They are tricky holes but there are a few tough holes on the front nine as well. If you can get through those difficult ones first, then you can pick up a few birdies on the others.
“The hilly holes, the last six, they are certainly a challenge. A couple of the greens are really difficult, and you need to hit it in the right spots and hope luck is on your side.
“I didn’t drive it that well, which was fortunate because there aren’t many holes where you have to use the driver. I hit my irons really well and putted nicely, which all added up to a good round.
“The view is unbelievable. It’s quite something up on top of the hill and there aren’t many views on a golf course like that anywhere.”
Orr holds a four-shot lead over a group of four players, including Stephen Dodd of Wales, South Africa’s David Frost, Argentine Rafael Gomez and Swede Joakim Haeggman, who all signed for rounds of 68, two under par.
The rest of the top ten is made up of five players at one under par, including Mark Mouland, who made his 100th start on the Staysure Tour on Thursday.
The second round of the MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles begins at 9:00am local time tomorrow with Orr teeing it up at 11:45am local time.
