Kingsbarns was trickier than normal on day one with cross winds buffeting the course usually considered the easy touch for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but five of the Scots there managed to get out at par or better.
Scott Jamieson’s 70 was the best, and evidence that he can return to his excellent form of the spring after admitting “I took my eye off the ball” during the summer, as he presses for the place in the big reward events to finish the season.
““I don’t know exactly what I need to get in the top 60, there is so much more money up for grabs this year with the Rolex Series events no one knows,” he said.
“You have got to get in Turkey and the Nedbank first. There is lots of money available there so big finishes can shoot you up. Italy next week is the same.”
Jamieson felt two-under was “as bad as it could have been.”
“I had a clumsy bogey on 14, and 17 is a really tough hole today. Missing the green right which is not a good spot. The three par-fives you can normally reach were playing really long.
“The last few weeks have been really good tee to green, if I can get momentum going with the putter I feel my game is in good shape.”
Richie Ramsay is also in a chase for position, in his case a place in the WGC in Shanghai if he can get inside the top 30 – where he saw Paul Dunne leapfrog him at the British Masters.
“It’s still the short term goal,” he said after a 71 rescued with a flurry of birdies after he made the turn in two-over.
“It was on the edge today, could have gone one way or the other,” he said. “I could have played myself out of the tournament but fortunately I managed to play myself back in.
“I just have to shoot a good score tomorrow, and Carnoustie is a course I always love playing.”
Stephen Gallacher went out in three-over but came back in three-under, holing an 18-foot putt on the last to get back to level par.
“I had 36 putts – I putted terribly, that was my only single putt all day,” he said. “I thought level par would have left me with quite a bit of catching up to do but it is not that bad.”
Paul Lawrie also struggled with the putter on his way to a 71.
“I played really nicely, hit the ball lovely but putted poorly,” he said. “Anything under par was a decent score today, but I should have been two or three less.”
Liam Johnston, making his debut as a pro on an invitation, picked up two late birdies to pull himself back and finish level par.
