After a testing first day in the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship, European Senior Tour star, Barry Lane, leads by three on six-under from Paul Lawrie
After a testing first day in the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship, European Senior Tour star, Barry Lane, leads the way by three on six-under from Paul Lawrie.
On a short but testing course, made even more so by swirling breezes, Farmfoods British Par 3 debutant Barry Lane took the tournament by the scruff of the neck on a leaderboard that reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of Europe’s main tours past and present.
Nailcote Hall owner, Rick Cressman, explained at the Players’ Dinner last night that he had been trying to persuade Lane to play for the last 17 years and had finally got his man this year.
"I've never played the course before – I only played nine holes last night and thought to myself, 'this is going to be tricky'," said Lane afterwards, “I'm really pleased with my round today.
"The course was certainly not forgiving and you can easily drop shots if you're not accurate. I've not played for two weeks and wasn't expecting to play so well.
“This is a great event - I couldn't believe the crowds today, it really surprised me. I was playing with Tony Jacklin, which was a fantastic honour, and I really did have great fun.”
Later at the dinner, Lane told me he’d only missed two or three greens all round, and got up and down a couple of times when he did.
Anyone who’s ever played the course will know what a remarkable achievement that is! Lane packed eight birdies into his round, including four in a row from the 13th.
Equally remarkable was Lawrie’s round, which featured just three birdies, but no dropped shots.
