Beware the injured golfer? That old adage certainly rang true at Trump International Golf links on the outskirts of Aberdeen as Simon Khan hobbled his way into a share of the lead during round one of the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship hosted by Colin Montgomerie.
Khan, who cut his professional teeth with The PGA before going on to become a double winner on the DP World Tour, posted a spirited four-under 68 amid the towering dunes of Balmedie to join Gary Orr, Jarmo Sandelin and fellow PGA man Scott Henderson at the summit.
It was an admirable effort from Khan who was straight off to the physio after his round to get treatment on a tweaked hamstring, which had flared up on his back nine.
“My golf actually improved when that happened,” said Khan with a smile. He may have been nursing a niggle but his five-under inward half – he started on the 10th – was just what the doctor ordered.
“It was a pretty idyllic morning for golf,” added Khan of the relatively benign conditions he faced with his early tee-time. “The sea was like a millpond this morning and it just makes life a lot easier. Some of those tees, when you’ve got a 20 mile per hour wind blowing into your face, is not so nice. I'm sure the wind will blow at some stage this week, though.”
Khan, who savoured the biggest highlight of his career in 2010 when he won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, has yet to taste victory among the golden oldies but the 52-year-old continues to knock on the door in his quest for a senior silver lining.
“Being a PGA man as well, it would be lovely to get a first win in this event,” he said of his long-standing relationship with the Association. “There’s a long way to go, though.”
“My nephew who was following me said, ‘keep going like this and it’s the course record’,” said Henderson of that early barrage of birdies. “I felt like saying ‘this course can grab you at any moment’. And it did.
“If you get a little off your game here it will expose you. You just try to guide it around and stay out of the rough.”
Robert Coles, who won the Senior PGA Professional Championship back in May, made a good start in his push for an over-50s double with a three-under 69.
The two-time PGA Cup player said: “It’s always good to break 70 around here as we all know how tough this course is. I’m very happy.”
Peter Baker’s defence of the title he won a year ago began with a two-under 70. The honorary PGA member, who topped last year’s Legends Tour order of merit, had been four-under with three to play but leaked shots at 16 and 18 to slip away from a share of the lead.
Colin Montgoemrie, the Ryder Cup great and tournament host this week, opened with a 71.
Click here for all the scores from Trump International Golf Links
