Flyaway Paul leads Renaissance by three

Paul Robinson (Largs) left the bigger names of the Tartan Tour trailing in his wake after a first-round, six-under-par 65 gave him a three-stroke lead at the end of the opening day in the P&H Championship at The Renaissance Club.

Robinson did not look the likely leader in East Lothian when he bogeyed the first hole but he turned in level-par 36 with birdies at two long holes, the third and the seventh, cancelling out a second bogey, at the ninth.

It was after the turn that Robinson stepped up a gear to power away from the huge field.

He covered the last six holes in six-under-par with an eagle three at the 13^th and birdies at the 14^th, 15^th, 16^th and 18^th in an inward 29.

His nearest challengers going into day two are David Orr (Eastwood) and Stephen Gray (Hayston) on the 68 mark.

Orr was joint second, only a shot behind last year's winner of the £7,300 first prize, Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs) when the inaugural tournament was played at Dundonald Links

He birdied the first, fourth, ninth, 13^th, 14^th and 16^th in halves of 35-33.

Gray, a pro-am winner last week, had bogey-free halves of 34-34 with birdies at the first, third and 15^th.

Defending champion Arnott is joint 11^th on 71. Not all of the pre-tournament favourites did well. Paul O'Hara chalked up a 79, nine more than his Clydeway Golf team-mate Graham Fox.