FRIDAY, 1.30PM:
SOUTH AFRICA’S John Bland leads the Senior British Open after the first round on Wednesday at Royal Portush in Northern Ireland. Bland fired a six-under-par 66 to take the lead. “I played good, drove beautifully, but I’m just happy to be playing,” he said.
Bland is two strokes ahead of compatriot Gary Player, who began the day with three birdies and finished at four-under 68.
Bland, who sustained a leg injury at the Ford Seniors in July, had high praise for the course: “It is one of the great courses of the world. I don’t know how the Open works its rotas out, but it’s a wonderful course.” His sentiments are shared by Player, who thinks the course should stage the British Open in the future.
David Engelbrecht of the United States also shot a 68. One stroke futher back in another group of five was defending champion Brian Barnes, of Scotland.