Scade to the fore

James Scade (Little Channels Golf Centre) lit up the course on the opening day of the Order of Merit tournament at Bentley.

With the sun beating down on a red-hot summer’s day – the hottest in June in over 40 years – Scade fired a sizzling five-under-par 67 to lead by one.

He dazzled early, especially, with an eagle at the third followed by a birdie at the fifth and then another at the testing par-4 sixth.

A shot went at the tricky seventh but Scade hit back with further birdies at nine, ten and 13 before a closing bogey.

Stuart Brown (Thorpe Wood) was another to make a fast start, opening up with three straight birdies. He got it to four-under after five and made further advances on the back-nine.

Six-under with two to play, he then made a double-bogey at the short 17 to drop one back from Scade.

Late starter Chase Davis (Marriott Sprowston Manor Hotel) was five-under without a blemish on his card through ten holes.

But three bogeys, partially countered by two birdies, saw him shoot an opening 68 to sit alongside Brown in a share of second.

Matthew King (Rayleigh Golf Range), Glen Portelli (Old Fold Manor), Andrew Pestell (Chelmsford) and Ben Kerr (Bourn Golf & Leisure) all sit at three-under and are bang in contention, too.

A further 11 players are also under par at the halfway stage and can’t be ruled out. It looks guaranteed to be a second-day thriller over the Essex course, which offers an intriguing challenge to the field.