Lee Slattery leads the ISPS Handa Wales Open
Lee Slattery is on the top of the ISPS Handa Wales Open, as he shot a 4-under 67 in the first round of the European Tour event.
The 33-year-old Englishman displayed an amazing performance on Thursday, at The Celtic Manor Resort in the City of Newport, Wales.
He started the round early in the morning and reached the top by hitting three impressive birdies on the front nine holes of the course.
He made his first birdie on the second hole. Then he added another on the fifth hole and one-more on the eighth hole. He also carded a bogey on the ninth hole and finished front nine holes on 34.
"It was very difficult out there," said Slattery. "The wind was strong, I think stronger than anticipated. Just getting off to a good start today, two birdies in the first two holes, made all the difference. It just meant I had something to go for afterwards".
After making an appealing start, he improved his performance and added two more birdies on the back nine holes. It was the eleventh and twelfth hole where he recorded birdies.
On the other hand, he was bogey-free on the back nine holes and finished the round on the top of the leaderboard.
He added: “I don’t seem to feel the pressure as much. Obviously my new goal now is to try and win something bigger – a tournament of this sort of stature. I’m not saying Madrid wasn’t a big tournament, there were a lot of good players there, but certainly
I have to try and elevate my game to something better now and that’s what I’m hoping for”.
He turned professional in 1998 and has won six professional events so far. Of the victories, he recorded one win at the European Tour, two at Challenge Tour and won three other titles as well.
Slattery is currently leading by one stroke against two professionals, Tim Sluiter and Marcel Siem. They both scored 68 in the first round and displayed an amazing game.
Now, Slattery has ample chances to become impressive throughout the four rounds and can dominate the leaderboard till Sunday. He only has to deliver his best against the others.
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