A new course record, an albatross two form the hometown hero and 110 players under par meant the Ryder Cup Wales Challenge 2004 got off to an unbelievable start at the Northop Golf and Country Club as Scotsman David Patrick took the first round lead after his record breaking nine under par 63.
In doing so, Patrick posted the best round of his European Challenge Tour career to take a one shot lead from England’s Mathew King. The 29 year old from Edinburgh was flawless throughout his opening round and then modesty personified afterwards.
“It just didn’t feel that special for some reason. I was just going about my business and ended up putting together a seriously low score,” said Patrick, who is currently 76th on the Challenge Tour Rankings.
“But I wasn’t walking around the course thinking that I was playing great or was going to go really low. It was just one of those days where you do everything you should do, but don’t usually do it.”
King was in a similar frame of mind after signing for an eight under 64 that included an eagle two at the par four tenth hole after an exquisite chip over the greenside bunker hit the back of the hole.
King said: “It could have been a lot lower, well at least three shots better, but to be fair I didn’t feel as though I played all that well. My wedge play that was spot on and allowed me to put up a good score but I didn’t feel like I was striking the ball all that well, it’s a great start though and I’m pleased to be up there.”
If King’s chip in was exquisite, then Welshman Garry Houston’s albatross two at the par five eighth hole was spectacular. The 31 year old from local town Mold – who plays under the attachment of the Northop Golf and Country Club – was one over par as he teed off at the eighth but a few moments later found himself two under after a miraculous four iron from 226 yards pitched on the green and rolled beautifully into the cup.
“I needed something to get my round going today,” said Houston, winner of the 2004 Galeria Kaufhof Pokal Challenge. "But it didn’t need to be that spectacular – a birdie would have done me! It was a nice way to get back into it, though – now I just need three more rounds in the 60s, of which one of them has to be very low, and will have a chance here.”
Houston posted a five under 67 and finds himself in an eight way tie for 16th position. There are nine players one shot better off than Houston on six under, and four men a shot better off on seven under par.
Zimbabwe’s Marc Cayeux, Welshman Mathew Griffiths, South African Titch Moore and Leif Westerberg of Sweden all came home with 65s to sit one behind King and two shots behind the leader, Patrick.
Of those four, Cayeux, Moore and Westerberg have all won Challenge Tour titles in the last 12 months – a good indicator of the high standard of golf on offer at the Ryder Cup Wales Challenge.
