Former champions set pace at Gleneagles

Former winners Chris Kelly (Cawder) and Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf) took route 66 to share the lead at the end of the first round in the Gleneagles Scottish PGA Championship.

Taking up where he’d left off when covering the last six holes in seven-under to win the Portpatrick Pro-Am with a 63, Kelly hit it close at the first on the PGA Centenary Course and went on to add five more birdies.

“I didn’t putt well in last week’s P&H Championship at Dundonald Links but it was better at the weekend and also today,” reported the 2003 winner.

Fox, who is bidding to regain the title he claimed two years ago, also signed for six birdies, including a rare one for him at the third.

“It owed me,” he said, having “chipped” a 7-iron under the wind from 145 yards to 20 feet before rolling in the putt.

Chasing the two leaders, a shot behind, are Ross Cameron, the 35-year-old from Ellon who is currently unattached, and Portpatrick Dunskey 25-year-old Christopher Robinson.

“I putted extremely well and that’s really been my strength so far this year,” said Cameron, who played on the Alps Tour last year but is focusing on the PGA EuroPro Tour this season.

Robinson moved to Portpatrick Dunskey from Dumfries & Galloway about 18 months ago and is enjoying the chance to play more competitive golf.

“That’s what it is all about,” said the Wigtown man, who played in the same Scotland boys’ team as Jordan Findlay, James Byrne, James White and Ross Kellett.

Three players carded 68s - Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre), David Orr (Mearns Castle and Mark Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy).

Oldcorn, the 2001 PGA champion, was seven-under after 12 holes before “fatting” a 3-iron from the middle of the 13th fairway that only went 80 yards.

After dropping a shot there and then compounding things by taking a double-bogey 6 at the next, he said: “I feel that I’ve totally wasted an opportunity to get a foothold into the tournament.”

Orr, another former winner, needed to get pain-killers taken out to him on the course as he struggled with a pulled muscle - gym injury he sustained recently.

“I’ll play through the pain as I can get a wee rest after this event,” he declared.

Despite being held much earlier in the year, the condition of the King’s Course was widely praised by competitors.

“They’ve put in drainage on both this course and the Queen’s and it’s done an incredible job as the greens are so much firmer,” declared defending champion Greig Hutcheon after his opening 69.