Daniel Brooks made the most of the favourable early conditions to take the clubhouse lead at the Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts with a superb seven under par round of 64.
The Englishman has been on good form recently, his best result of the season coming at the Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda two weeks ago when he was runner up, and he started this week with a flourish thanks to a bogey-free round at Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Club, in Aviemore.
His round started steadily with three consecutive pars before it took flight thanks to back to back birdies at the fourth and fifth. Three consecutive birdies from the eighth hole followed before another two gained shots at the 12th and 13th holes handed him a two shot lead in the clubhouse.
“I started off steadily,” said the man from Essex in East Anglia. “I had a bit of a bad second hole and then chipped in from short of the green (15 yards) for par and that gave me a bit of momentum really. Then I hit a few nice shots and holed a couple of putts and just kept it going all day.
“The weather wasn’t too bad, the first four holes there was no wind at all and then it picked up but then it died off again when the rain came in, probably for the last nine holes.
“I made three in a row around the turn but I should have a few more at the end too to be honest. At the 14th I missed one from five feet, at the 16th I missed one from eight feet and at the 17th it must have been two feet. I played really well and putted nice for most of the day though so I’m not disappointed with seven under.”
Two shots further back was Brooks’ compatriot Jamie Abbott, who has also been on positive form in the past number of weeks, and while his round was a little less steady, he was delighted to finish on a high note with a birdie on the 18th.
“I started from the second and holed a good birdie putt there from about 15 feet, a little downhill right to left putt, which was nice to get the round going,” said the 25 year old.
“I had a bad bogey on the fourth, a bad tee shot, right across the green which is not the best place to hit it. I made a bad three putt there and missed a couple of chances at five and six and then holed a good eight footer for birdie on seven which was nice.
“I made a good birdie at the ninth, hit to three feet, so that was quite a simple birdie. I hit a really good shot into 10 to about four feet and knocked that in. Another bogey at the 11th after a three putt so it was a bit of an up and down round.
“I had a nice par at 12 and then two birdies at 13 and 14, holed a really good putt at 14 from about 25 feet. Cruised around really, gave myself a few chances at 16 and 17 and then holed a nice one 18 from about 12 feet so that was a good finish.”
Mark Tullo, who finished tied third at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open last year, was one of the players a shot further back in the clubhouse, on four under par after a 67, alongside Max Kieffer.
