A tight leaderboard leads into Day 2 as top-seven separated by one stroke.
MIKAEL Lundberg, Andrew Marshall and Michael Campbell, three former stars of the DP World Tour, are leading the Champions UK plc European Senior Masters.
Day 1 of the Legends Tour event saw the trio emerge as table toppers after finishing five under par at the infamous Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa in Murcia.
Discussing the day’s action with the Legends Tour, Lundberg said: “The wind got stronger and stronger but I loved it. I love playing in the wind. It makes you think less about the swing and just focus on getting the ball where you want it to go.
“It was tough out there. I made some really nice putts today although I missed a few shorter ones that does happen. The greens are really slopy, they’re really fast – especially downhill – and they’re really tricky. I misread a few but you know that everyone will do that at some point, so it makes it easier just to keep going.
“At the Senior Open I found something with my putting and I’ve played really well since then. I’ve been working really hard on it and that’s really been the difference. It’s really just a few different feelings, but mostly it’s about grinding and spending a lot of time on it.
“That’s what gets the results. From here it’s just one shot at a time, it’s the only way you can play this game, or pretty much anything in your life. You stick to one thing, you do what you can for now and then you see what you get.”
Campbell also told Legends Tour reporters: “What made things so simple out there today? A new heart, literally. I had a heart operation two months ago which I had held off for two years. I had Atrial Fibrillation which means my heart was racing out of rhythm.
“So I was tired and couldn’t focus on the golf course for the last two or three years. But today I felt really in the present, very focused and I played great.
“This is life-changing for me, really. I only started playing again a few weeks ago, so it’s been a big turnaround for me and I feel great out there. It’s not 100% yet, I’ve got another three or four months before I’ll be back to full health, but now I’m running at about 75%, which is better than the 20% over the last two or three years so I’m very happy with that and very happy with how I played today.”
The top of the leaderboard at the close of play reads:
· 1: Mikael Lundberg, Andrew Marshall, Michael Campbell (-5)
· 4: Thomas Gögele, Jamie Donaldson, Jarmo Sandelin, Joakim Haeggman (-4)
· 8: Paul McGinley (-3) Donaldson assessed his own performance, saying to UK speakers bureau Champions Speakers, the tournament’s headline sponsors: “Very happy with that round. There’s some really fiddly holes out there and you don’t have to miss by much. I didn’t really for four months after a shoulder operation, played Italy and did ok for two days and today I’ve played well. Put the ball nicely in position, drove it quite well, got up on all the par fives. That was big. I had an eagle putt on every one and made one.
“It’s important really to drive it well on the par fives so you can make birdies on all of them. You want to par all the threes and then pick up if you can on the occasional par-four. But that wind today was really tricky.”
Looking ahead to the second day, Lundberg, Marshall and Campbell will be aiming to maintain on their early-built momentum, while the chasing pack are poised to challenge with the scorecard reading close.
The Champions UK plc European Senior Masters, in association with Equals Money, is part of the crucial season run-in for the Legends Tour calendar. The Grand Hyatt La Manga Club is welcoming spectators with a backdrop for a four-day event of senior golfing competition.
Fans of the sport will be able to watch tournament highlights on Sky Sports Golf in the near future. To find out more information about the competition, visit: https://europeanseniormasters.com/
