Clark holds slender lead

Graeme Clark(pictured) leads the Grant Property Investment Championship by one stroke after shooting a first-round 65 on the par-71 Old Course at Moray Golf Club in Lossiemouth.

With an afternoon tee time, the Doncaster golfer basked in the sunshine in the first of four 888poker.com PGA Europro Tour events to be held in Scotland this summer.

Clark started in fine fashion sinking an eagle two on the first and a birdie at the second.

He leads by one from Daniel Wardrop (Didsbury Golf Club) and Will Roebuck (Woburn/Shirley Parsons Assc) while four golfers share fourth place on 67.

"It was a good start," said Clark. "I knocked it just off the back edge of the first and putted it for eagle, it was lovely. I knocked the second to within about 10 feet and missed that for eagle, which would have been a great start, but still made birdie.

"I turned five-under and played quite nicely on the way back but just got a bit unlucky on 13 and made bogey there. I played solidly all way.

"Moray is fantastic, it is pure - a great golf course."

After his superb start Clark birdied eight and nine. A bogey at 13 was his only blemish and he broke par at 11 and 15.

Wardrop managed an eagle on the par-five second in his round of 66. Roebuck, who also finished five-under had four birdies in his first six holes, with a bogey at three and two more birdies on the back nine.

Luke Joy (Broadstone Golf Club), Nick McCarthy (Moortown Golf Club), James Watts (Kingsway Golf Centre) and Sam Robertshawe (Army Golf Club) are all four-under par.

The tournament continues today and concludes with a final round on Friday, before which a cut to the leading 50 players plus ties will be made.

Spectator entry is free throughout the week and Sky Sports will broadcast a two-hour highlights show of the event on Wednesday, July 24.