O’Sullivan just one stroke behind leader Owen

NEW ZEALANDER Simon Owen is setting a hot pace in the first round of the Mobile Cup at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire by carding a five-under-par 66.

The 52-year-old covered each nine in 33 shots and leads by a stroke from Ireland's Denis O'Sullivan and by two from Kent's Bob Cameron and Guillermo Encina from Chile.

Owen had six birdies and just one dropped shot on his card and is hoping for a repeat in round two, something that has been a problem for the Kiwi.

Carl Mason, who made his Seniors Tour debut last week, went round in 69, but it was not a good day for defending champion Bernard Gallacher, who is at the back of the field after a disastrous 79 that included three double bogeys.

Meanwhile, Mark Mouland consolidated his opening 65 at Open des Volcans Challenge de France with a second round 70 but found his putting pendulum had swung from positive to negative as he missed chance after chance on the greens at Golf des Volcans in the South of France.

And such is the nature of the European Challenge Tour, the 42-year-old is no longer on his own at the top of the leaderboard, as Swedes Oskar Bergman, Peter Gustafsson and Spaniard Ivo Giner all joined the Welshman on 135, seven under par.

Mouland, who credited his impressive first-round score to an improvement in his putting stroke, couldn't hide his disappointment as soon as he stepped off the course.

Both Giner and Gustafsson shot second round 67s over the par 71 Golf des Volcans course, along with Italian Stefano Reale who eagled the par four first and Welshman Craig Williams, who is sandwiched on his own between the four leaders and the four players tied for sixth on five under, 139.