Sam Torrance recovered from injury to take a clubhouse lead, alongside Barry Lane, with a superb 67 on the first day of the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters at Woburn Golf Club.
The Scotsman was forced to pull out of Thursday’s Pro-Am at Woburn after he suffered a knee injury on the first hole and even considered dropping out of the tournament.
But after a slow start to Friday’s first round, Torrance’s round took flight as he went birdie-birdie-eagle on the ninth, 10th and 11th holes before firing two successive birdies on the 17th and 18th to leave him five under and joint top with Lane.
Speaking of his injury, Torrance said: “It happened in the Pro-Am going down the first fairway, I had been fine practicing for an hour and half before I went out and I was walking down the fairway and it just locked.
“I actually went into the bunker in the second and I couldn’t get out, I had to get somebody to help me out so I came in and had some treatment last night.
“I was tentative at the beginning of the round and wasn’t really committing but I kept plugging in and played beautifully.”
Last year’s John Jacobs Trophy winner Boonchu Ruangkit was a shot further back after he carded a four under par 69, while Scotsman Gordon Brand Junior and England’s Carl Mason were tied for fourth on three under.
