Round-up:Former British Open champion Paul Lawrie and defending champion Soren Kjeldsen share the lead after the first round of the Andalucian Open in Malaga.
The pair shot five-under-par 65s at the Parador club to be a stroke ahead of seven players — England’s Phillip Archer, Welshman Bradley Dredge, New Zealander Mark Brown, Dutchman Joost Luiten, Spaniard Ignacio Garrido, Argentina’s Daniel Vancsik and France’s former British amateur champion Julien Guerrier.
Eleven years on from his amazing victory at Carnoustie 41-year-old Lawrie finds himself 235th in the world.
His last victory was in 2002, but Lawrie still believes he can hit the heights again and recently decided to link up again with former coach Adam Hunter.
That meant leaving Bob Torrance, coach to three-time major champion Pádraig Harrington, but Lawrie said: “I gave Bob a ring and he was great.
“I learnt a lot — you do from every coach — but I didn’t think I was getting enough out of it for the time it took to see him.”
He lives in Aberdeen and Torrance in Ayrshire and it meant a seven-hour round trip.
Hunter, a former Tour winner himself, has recently been diagnosed with leukaemia and Lawrie commented: “He’s doing all right. It’s been a terrible time, but he’s out of hospital now, so fingers crossed he’s on the road to recovery.”
Not having played a Tour event for six weeks, Lawrie has kept himself busy at home and on a recent trip to Spain and so did not feel he had any rust to remove on his return.
He turned in a one-under 35 and then, like Kjeldsen later in the day, birdied the first three holes en route to a four under front nine of 30.
Peter Lawrie and Paul McGinley led the Irish challenge after they both carded two-under-par rounds of 68.
Gary Murphy, Michael Hoey and Simon Thornton were a shot further back, while Darren Clarke and Gareth Maybin shot level-par 70s.
Shane Lowry (72) and Damien McGrane (73) both undid all their good work after carding triple-bogey sevens during their first rounds.
Meanwhile, Graeme McDowell recorded three birdies on his back nine to finish with a one-under-par 71 in the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando.
The Rathmore golfer trails early clubhouse leader JB Holmes by five shots after he signed for a 66 that included an eagle at the par-five 12th.
Holmes was later joined on that mark by Davis Love, who got over a bogey at the first by firing four birdies and an eagle in his next five holes.
Australia’s Robert Allenby hade made it to six under standing on the 18th tee but his approach to the par four found water as he ran up a double-bogey six on the closing hole.
It ruined a back nine which started in spectacular fashion when he pitched in his second for an eagle at the par-four tenth hole. He would add on four more birdies coming home before his late mishap.
Sweden’s Henrik Stenson and Canada’s Mike Weir are one shot off the lead after firing 67s.