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| Crookall-Nixon Sets A Hot Pace |
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| Saturday, 04 July 2009 00:00 | |||
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Seb Crookall-Nixon won’t be giving up the McGregor Trophy without a fight. An opening four-under-par 66 not only gives him a one-shot first round lead but has thrown down a challenge to the rest of the field. At one stage it seemed the defending champion from Cumbria would enjoy a comfortable four-shot advantage. But Bertrand Mommaerts from Belgium and Liam Harper, the England Under 16 cap from Kent, produced fine 67s to close on him at the top of the leaderboard. Despite another fiercely hot day, even when play started at 7.30am, conditions were ideal for good golf and it didn’t take long to arrive. Crookall-Nixon (photo courtesy of Tom Ward), who won the title at High Post in Wiltshire a year ago, was in the second game out at 7.40am and didn’t drop a shot in his 66. He only found one birdie in an outward 34 but made his score with further birdies at the 12th, 15th and 17th. “I’m pleased with that start,” he said. “It puts me in a good position but I’ve got to go out tomorrow and do that again. I’ve been shooting some low scores this season and I’m trying to peak at the right time. So I may have done so.” He was well ahead of the rest of the 132-string field for a few hours before Mommaerts posted his 67. He would have matched Crookall-Nixon but for a bogey on the final hole which came after three successive birdies. In all, the Belgian had six birdies and came home in a splendid 32 strokes. Harper was a late starter and had four birdies in his 67. “If I could have holed a few putts early on it would have been even better,” he said. “Then I started to find my stroke and I holed a few over the last ten holes.” Four players are locked on 68 including Nick Newbold, 16, who managed three birdies and one dropped shot on his card. A member of the Derbyshire Under 16 and Under 18 teams, he will be hoping not to repeat his performance of a year ago. “Then I was eighth going into the final two rounds but fell away badly,” he said. “I’ve got to do better this time.” Joe Richardson also shot 68 which was another fine effort and is in contrast to his 2008 performance when he missed the halfway cut. “I’m happy with 68,” remarked the 2007 BB&O Under 14 Champion. “It could have been better but I made a couple of long putts at 16 and 17 so that balanced it out.” Two-handicapper Patrick Mullins, 15 year old Welsh cap, had five birdies in his 68 while Casto Gomez Ruiz had four in his. The current English Under 14 Champion Toby Tree posted a 72, finishing his round with four successive threes, three of them birdies. And the first round was highlighted by a first-ever hole-in-one for Ireland’s Keith Egan, who sank his seven iron tee shot at the 175-yard sixth hole. Even so, he wasn’t a happy teenager. “I lost the ball at the 16th and ran up a triple-bogey seven,” he said after signing for 72. In the race for the Nations Cup, England 1 lead on 135, two ahead of Wales 1 with England 2 on 138.
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