SCOTLAND were not exactly out of the World Cup after the first round
at La Moraleja in Madrid yesterday, but they were lagging nine shots
behind the Americans, whose combined score of 134 was 10 under par, two
ahead of hosts Spain. Wales and Japan were tied for third place on five
under.
Colin Montgomerie, who shot 71, and Gordon Brand Jr (72) admitted they
just never got going and, while hoping for better things today, they
conceded it was already unlikely that they could catch Fred Couples and
Davis Love.
''We have to start holing some putts to be in contention,'' said
Brand, who played without his trademark moustache. ''I was trimming it
and made a hash of it,'' he explained, an early indication that his
touch might not be all it should be.
''We played with the Paraguayans and even they beat us,'' Montgomerie
sighed.
It is arguable that the best Scot was, in fact, a Chilean, Roy
Mackenzie, one of whose great grandparents came from Scotland. He shot a
69 to help Chile to four under par, and he will be playing on the
European Tour next season after finishing tenth on the Challenge Tour
this year.
Couples, whose 66 included seven birdies, three of them 2s, and Love,
who had six birdies in his 68, are rather further on in their careers.
They were both out in 34, Couples despite an intriguing bogey at the
fifth, a 379-yard par 4 that skirts a ake.
''I kinda topped a three wood off the tee,'' he said in his laconic
way. ''I saw it splash, but those things usually skip pretty well and it
got out no problem. I hit a three wood on and three-putted from 60
feet.''
The US Masters champion suffered no such indignities on his inward
nine, picking up four birdies to come home in 32, a run bettered only by
Spain's Jose Rivero. He shared the individual lead with Couples, one
stroke ahead of Ian Woosnam, finishing with three consecutive birdies
for a second nine of 31, five under par. Miguel Angel Jimenez tagged
along with a 70.
Woosnam had seven birdies, and his partner Mark Mouland overcame a
triple-bogey 6 at the fourth, where he hit a No.6-iron shot into the
water. He also played his third from the tee, not having spotted the
dropping zone 60 yards on, but had five birdies in the last 10 holes to
salvage a 72.
One consolation for Scotland was that they were not alone in having an
ordinary day. England also finished on 143, despite a 69 from Steve
Richardson, and Ireland were positively dire. Christy O'Connor Jr opened
with two birdies but faded to a 73, while Ronan Rafferty had not a
single birdie in his 77. Ireland were tied with Greece and Finland on
six over par, ahead of only four nations.
The local tip is in full view of the course and, six months after
having been asked to make it less environmentally hideous, the local
council did something about it. Overnight half of it turned from brown
to green, thanks to the application of a mixture of paint, water,
petrol, and seeds of various kinds. Shades of Augusta and its green sand
-- almost! First-round scores:
134 -- United States (Fred Couples 66, Davis Love 68).
136 -- Spain (Jose Rivero 66, Miguel Jimenez 70).
139 -- Wales (Ian Woosnam 67, Mark Mouland 72); Japan (Kiyoshi Murota
68, Hirofumi Miyase 71).
140 -- South Korea; New Zealand (Greg Turner 69, Frank Nobilo 71);
Australia (Brett Ogle 68, Peter O'Malley 72); Canada (Brent Franklin 69,
Richard Zokol 71); South Africa (Ernie Els 70, De Wat Basson 70); Chile.
142 -- Paraguay; Switzerland; Sweden (Anders Forsbrand 68, Per-Ulrik
Johansson 74).
143 -- Scotland (Colin Montgomerie 71, Gordon Brand Jr 72); England
(Steven Richardson 69, David Gilford 74); Colombia.
144 -- Taiwan; Mexico.
145 -- France; Argentina.
146 -- Germany (Bernhard Langer 71, Heinz-Peter Thuel 75).
147 -- Norway; Italy (Costantino Rocca 73, Silvio Grappasonni 74).
148 -- Denmark; Brazil.
150 -- Ireland (Christy O'Connor Jr 73, Ronan Rafferty 77); Finland;
Greece.
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