NICK DOUGHERTY, who has spent the summer laid low with glandular fever, and Andrew Coltart, a long-term sufferer from putting maladies, made hay in the Swedish sunshine yesterday to share the first-round lead with David Gilford in the Scandic Carlsberg Scandinavian Masters at Barseback Golf Club.
Dougherty, the recipient of last season’s Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award, managed a welcome return to form with a 67, five under par.
The 21-year-old was hugely relieved to end a run during which he has missed five cuts in succession, grown increasingly irritable and found energy hard to come by. He checked into his Malmö hotel on Wednesday, slept blissfully for 16 hours and arrived on the tee with an unaccustomed feeling of freshness.
This was reflected in a round with few mistakes on a course that, measuring 7,365 yards, is the longest on the European Tour this year.
The 20 or so putters that are scattered around Coltart’s home are a clue to his continuing inconsistency on the greens. However, putting with his glove on for the first time since childhood, the Scot employed his latest short stick — an Odyssey DF 3300 picked up at the recent Scottish Open — only 23 times.
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Bernhard Langer, the Europe Ryder Cup captain for 2004, and Michael Campbell, winner of the Irish Open on Sunday, were also handily placed after rounds of 70.