Wright off to flying start in Northern Open

West Linton's Gareth Wright spreadeagled the field with a blustering opening-day effort in the Northern Open at Nairn Dunbar.

The Edinburgh-based Welshman carded a seven-under-par 65 to sit three shots clear of Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills Golf Range) in the Tartan Tour Order of Merit event.

Wright, who was born in Wales, revealed that his score was set up by his performance on the par three’s, and said: “I was really pleased, I got a couple of breaks here and there but I think you need that in links golf.

“My game has been coming and today it all kind of came together, I played the par 3’s nicely, I birdied three out of the four, if you do that in a round of golf you’re usually going to have a good one.

“Conditions were gusty, I was hitting nine-irons in from about 120-yards, nearly 30 yard shorter than usual, and it was tough, even downwind it was hard, as it was difficult to judge where the ball was going to land.

“I played 12 holes here a long time ago, it’s a golf course which makes you think, I only hit two drivers today and I didn’t hit one on the back-nine at all.

“Otherwise I just used irons of the tee, and a three-wood at the second hole, you have to plot you’re away round this track, and sometimes you’re better being a bit further back.”

Former European Tour Rookie of the Year Scott Henderson (Kings Links Golf Centre) is a shot further back in third while no less than eight players signed for one-under 71s.

They included Carnoustie amateur Will Porter, as well as former Scottish PGA champions Craig Ronald (Carluke) and Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf).

Defending champion Paul O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure Ltd) opened with a 72, as did Alastair Forsyth (Mearns Castle Golf Academy), winner when this event was last held at Nairn Dunbar in 1999.

The day definitely belonged to Wright, who has made a habit of producing eye-catching efforts like this one on the Scottish circuit in recent years.

The PGA Cup player birdied the second, third and eighth to be out in 32, three-under. 

He then picked up three more shots in four holes from the 11th before rounding off a great day's work by making a seventh birdie at the par-5 18th.

McKechnie, who finished joint-second behind runaway winner O'Hara at Moray Golf Club in Lossiemouth 12 months ago, illuminated his card with birdies at the closing three holes.

Henderson, meanwhile, did his best work on the way out, recovering from a bogey at the second with four birdies in the next seven holes.

O'Hara, a wire-to-wire winner last year, will have to come from behind this time around after an opening effort that contained five birdies and five bogeys.