Golf: Outsiders set the pace at Woburn

After the success of 150/1 shot Andrew Oldcorn at the Volvo PGA championship, Londoner Daren Lee and Salisbury’s Gary Emerson looked suitably inspired at Woburn today.

Lee, rated at 100/1 for the Victor Chandler British Masters, and Emerson, among those listed at 66/1 by the tournament sponsors, both had two early birdies to set the pace.

Neither player has ever finished higher than fifth in any event on the European tour, but 36-year-old Lee, who like Oldcorn had his career blighted by the energy-sapping ME virus for a while, birdied the first and fifth, while 37-year-old Emerson picked up shots on the second and third.

The £1.25m event has switched this year to the new course at Woburn named after the Marquess of Tavistock and one of the feature holes immediately trapped tournament favourite Colin Montgomerie.

The 12th is only 314 yards long, but the drive had to carry a small lake and the creek leading into it winds round in front of the green.

Having birdied the long 11th - his second - Montgomerie was looking to catch Lee and Emerson, but instead a double bogey six went on his card.

Montgomerie was paired with Oldcorn, the fellow Scot who took his PGA crown on Monday, and Oldcorn also birdied the 11th, then paired the next to remain one under.

Darren Clarke is six off the pace at one over after nine holes. Eamonn Darcy is still level after six.