Highlights from the first round of the Barclays Scottish Open – Part 1
The first round of the 140th edition of Barclays Scottish Open wrapped up on Thursday with Lee Westwood and Mark Tullo in the lead. The European tour event is taking place at the par-72 Castle Stuart Golf Links in Inverness, Scotland. Here is
a quick recap for the day.
The opening round of the tournament kicked off in pleasant weather conditions, but it was soon attacked by the icy rains of Scotland. Despite the testing weather, Westwood reeled six birdies, one eagle and one bogey to surge into the lead.
The Englishman is bidding for his debut major victory, which he has not relished in his entire career despite ruling the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) for 22 weeks. With the Open Championship as the next stop of the season, Westwood is confident that
performing in crucial conditions at Castle Stuart would help him prepare for the Saint George Golf Club.
“I've no superstition about winning the week before a Major. The more pressure I can get myself under the better - I like having the pressure,” said Westwood while speaking to reporters.
He was joined by Tullo, whose game marveled the crowd until the last hole. The player from Chile carded ten birdies against three bogeys and took a share in the lead. Tullo graduated from the Challenge Tour in 2010, but he is yet to qualify for The Open
Championship, which is due next week. According to stats, Tullo will contend for the major, if he manages to finish in the Top-5 by the end of Sunday.
Despite the mounting pressure, Tullo has not lost his cool and he is ready to brave the next rounds.
Talking to the press about the course conditions and his experience, Tullo said, “One of those days I guess you could say, you have some good bounces. This is links golf and you cannot control anything. I actually had fun out there - I am trying to smile
more on the golf course. I have no experience, but as I said, I hit the ball low, and I have good imagination and pretty good short game.”
Son to an English father and a Dutch mother, Tullo cracked jokes with the press regarding the upcoming round. He said that he would not like to boast about his game, as he was sure that he would produce a bad score in the next round. In addition to that,
he said that he enjoyed his stay at the link styled course, as it added to his exposure.
One stroke shy of the duo was a group of three players, which included Swede Peter Hanson, South African George Coetzee and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen.
Article continued in Part 2…
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