Cort to the FORE at The Oxfordshire

Matthew Cort maintained the form that has made him front runner in the Race To Desert Springs with an impressive first round in the FORE Business Championship at The Oxfordshire.

Cort, who is attached to Beedles Lake Golf Club, Leicestershire, has won two HotelPlanner.com PGA Europro Tour events this season to lead the Order of Merit.

And he began the latest one in fine style with a seven-under-par round of 65 to lead 2015 Walker Cup player Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock (Barassie and Alex Wrigley (Hartlepool Golf Club) by a shot.

Miles Collins (Stoke by Nayland Golf Club), Mark Laskey (Brocket Hall/Team Honma) and Luke Cornford (Cooden Beach Golf) share fourth on five-under, with four golfers three back after signing for opening rounds of 68.

Cort, who also heads the PGA Midlands region’s Order of Merit, carded five birdies on the front nine, starting with a three at the first. From the fourth he put together a run of four consecutive birdies and on the back nine broke par again at the 15^th and 17^th.

McDonald had started at the tenth tee and was level par after nine holes with two birdies and two bogeys. However, five birdies and an eagle at the 7^th on his last nine saw him come home in 30 and sign for an opening-round 66 on the par-72 course.

Wrigley’s 66 came with eight birdies, his only dropped shots coming in the form of a double-bogey at the 8^th.

The FORE Business Championship is a 54-hole strokeplay event with a cut to be made after the second round. Spectator entry is free throughout the event and live scoring can be found at europrotour.com