Van Phillips and Matthew Cort emerged as the early frontrunners at the 2026 Champions UK plc European Senior Masters on Friday, with both Englishmen producing outstanding eight-under-par rounds of 65 at La Manga Club in Murcia, Spain.
The pair made an impressive start to the tournament, navigating their opening rounds without dropping a shot to establish a one-stroke advantage over the chasing pack.
With four players separated by just a single stroke at the top of the leaderboard, competition is already heating up as the tournament moves towards its decisive stages.
Phillips was in excellent form throughout Friday’s play, collecting eight birdies and finding 17 of the 18 greens in regulation.
After making four birdies on the front nine, he maintained his momentum on the way home, picking up a further four shots, including three birdies across his final six holes.
Speaking after his round, Phillips said: “I’ve been playing really well all year. It was just really solid all day. I hit 17 greens. The one I missed, I chipped close and tapped it in.”
Cort matched Phillips’ opening score with an equally impressive performance, highlighted by an eagle at the par-five fourth hole and six birdies.
The Englishman’s round adds to an encouraging season on the Legends Tour, which has already seen him secure second place at the Reignwood Legends Championship in Beijing, fifth at the Sergio Melpignano Senior Italian Open and ninth at the Portugal Legends Championship.
Currently ninth in the Road to Cambodia rankings heading into the event, Cort has positioned himself well for another strong result as he looks to challenge for the title this weekend.
South Africa’s Jean Hugo and Chile’s Felipe Aguilar are close behind the leading pair, sharing third place after posting rounds of seven-under-par 66.
Hugo continued the excellent form that saw him claim victory at the Portugal Legends Championship last week, where a final-round 62 secured the title.
An early bogey did little to disrupt his rhythm on Friday, as he went on to register eight birdies and move within one shot of the lead. He remains in a strong position to challenge for what would be his third Legends Tour victory in four appearances.
Aguilar also impressed with a consistent round, recording seven birdies without a bogey to keep pace with Hugo.
Cameron Clark and Phillip Price complete the top six after both returning six-under-par rounds of 67, leaving them just two strokes behind the leaders.
Further down the leaderboard, 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie is among four players sharing seventh place on five-under-par.
Lawrie, who finished fifth at last week’s tournament in Portugal, opened with a round of 68 alongside Christoph Günther, Michael Jonzon and Miguel Ángel Martin.
Several other familiar faces are also competing at La Manga Club, including major champions Richard Bland and Michael Campbell.
Bland began his campaign with a one-under-par 72, while Campbell signed for an opening-round 73 to finish level par.
With a tightly packed leaderboard and plenty of golf still to play, Saturday’s second round promises further opportunities for players to make their move as the race for the 2026 Champions UK plc European Senior Masters title gathers momentum.
