David Law fired a flawless seven-under opening round 64 at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood to take a one-stroke lead at the first tournament of the European Tour’s UK Swing.
The 29-year-old Scot, who has one European Tour title to his name at last year’s ISPS Handa Vic Open, hit a red hot streak with seven birdies in eight holes from the sixth – the only par during that run came courtesy of a wondrous save from the heavy gorse at the 11th.
“I was quite steady away,” said Law, who picked up his maiden European Tour title in Australia last year.
“I wasnt really sure what to expect coming into today after the long break but I was delighted with that.
Law had missed four cuts on the spin before the coronavirus pandemic caused a four-month break in the season and admitted the time off had been beneficial.
“We’ve been lucky at home, not having anyone affected by the illness thankfully,” he added. “I’ve got a daughter who is 19 months old, so to have that extended time at home – I’ll never get that again probably – so we had a great time.
“It was a nice time for me because I wasn’t playing the best going into that break, so it was a good time to recharge and reboot.”
Law finished the day one shot clear of Englishmen Oliver Fisher and Garrick Porteous and Italy’s Renato Paratore, who carded rounds of 65 and share second on six under at Close House Golf Club.
Fisher and Porteous both overcame a bogey at the second with seven birdies, with the former making a gain from ten feet at the last, while Paratore carded a bogey-free round.
The tournament host, former World Number One Westwood, battled to a one-under 70 while his fellow Englishman Eddie Pepperell had a solid start on his return to golf after four months out, signing for a four-under 67.
Canada’s Aaron Cockerill, Portugal’s Pedro Figueiredo, and Denmark’s Rasmus Højgaard share fourth on five under.
European Tour Release, July 22, 2020
