Five-star start for Goosen

David Smith13 April 2012

Retief Goosen blazed a trail on the first day of the £2.2 million Scottish Open this afternoon with an electric performance sweeping him to the top of the Loch Lomond leaderboard.

Just four weeks after claiming his first Major with a sensational play-off victory in the US Open, Goosen left a huge gallery in no doubt that he is in the sort of form to make it a Major double next week in The Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes.

After heavy rain delayed the start of the tournament today by over four hours, Goosen exploited the adoption of the clean and place rule on the sodden fairways to card two birdies and an eagle in his first three holes.

That gave the Surrey-based South African a share of the lead with England's Gary Evans and Carl Pettersson of Sweden on four under. But he then moved clear on his own with birdies at the fifth and the seventh.

Turning on six under, Goosen then birdied the 10th, 11th and 12th to go nine under, three ahead of Aussie Jarrod Moseley and within striking range of his course record nine-under-par 62, which was set in 1997.

However, an 18-hole total under that score would be regarded as unofficial because of the advantage afforded by clean and place.

Not that Spain's Diego Borrego had to worry about cleaning his ball on the par-three 235 yards 11th, his second hole. Having already birdied the 10th, he let fly with a three iron and was suitably ecstatic when the ball dropped in for a hole in one.

Home favourite Colin Montgomerie started with a birdie at the first, gave the shot back at the second, and then birdied the third to go one under, which is where he is with six to play. But in the group immediately ahead of the Scot, Ryder Cup team-mate Lee Westwood was again in trouble.

Having missed two cuts and finished 62nd in his last three starts, the European No 1 was looking for some semblance of form before next week.