McDowell scorches to lead as Monty's former caddie has last laugh

NORTHERN IRELAND'S Graeme McDowell set a new course record to lead in the first round of the Volvo Scandinavian Masters here in Stockholm but it was Colin Montgomerie's former caddie Alastair McLean who had the last laugh.

McLean is now working for Montgomerie’s playing partner Adam Scott after the end of his 10-year partnership with the former European number one, and Montgomerie was determined to hand out some good-natured ridicule if he picked a wrong club.

But McLean and Scott were wearing the broadest smiles after carding an opening 65 at Kungsangen, five better than defending champion Montgomerie and just one behind surprise leader Graeme McDowell.

McDowell is competing in just his fourth European Tour event since turning professional earlier this year, and only saw the course he is now attached to for the first time on Tuesday evening, his birthday.

The 23-year-old from Portrush only had time for nine practice holes on Tuesday after his flight from Manchester to Stockholm was delayed, but covered the same stretch in just 31 strokes to set a new course record of 64, seven under par.

Less than an hour earlier Scott had equalled the previous record with five birdies and an eagle, reaping the rewards of a meeting with coach Butch Harmon at the Open after missing the cut in five of his last six tournaments.

“I’m very happy with that start, it’s nice to put a low number on the board, it’s been a while,” said Scott, who has been working with Harmon’s son Claude but has to share Harmon senior’s time with Tiger Woods amongst others.

“Some bad habits in my technique were killing me and I was not able to sort them out before the tournament came round. I was trying to come up with a quick fix and it was not working so well.

“It was good to catch up with Butch and he really got me on the right path again. I’m planning on seeing him a bit more now, taking more trips to Las Vegas before US tournaments.

“Claude teaches the same things as his dad but it’s the way Butch talks to me, it all seems to make sense. He can tell me how to fix it.”

Montgomerie was two over after four holes and also dropped two shots coming home, but the Scot picked up five birdies and was reasonably satisfied with his day’s work.

“I missed a couple of greens on the wrong side but it’s okay,” said the 39-year-old, who hit a three-wood ‘like an Exocet’ to set up a birdie on the par-five ninth, his closing hole. “It gives me a chance to shoot low tomorrow and get in there.

“I wish Alastair nothing but the best. It was nice to see him get a few clubs right for a change!”

McDowell also carded his seventh and final birdie of the day on the same hole to complete a brilliant error-free round.

He has invites to seven tournaments, from which he has to make enough money to earn his card for next year, and is full of confidence after becoming the top-ranked college golfer in America this year.

“I did not feel that good for the first five or six holes but scrambled and hung in there and things got better from then on,” said McDowell, who bettered Woods’ collegiate scoring average while winning nine events at the University of Alabama and helped Great Britain and Ireland retain the Walker Cup for the first time last year.

“I knew that most of the top golfers in the world play college golf in America so I knew if I could get into the top 15 I would be ready to turn professional. Being top ranked this year has re-inforced my belief.

“I’m very happy to be here and to break the course record is a dream start. The top priority now is to get a card for next year. A good result here wouldn’t be a big surprise because I have been playing well since turning professional but not scoring well.”

English trio Warren Bennett, Matthew Cort and Grant Hamerton were joint third, one ahead of New Zealand’s Michael Campbell.