Lane falls foul of 18th hole

Barry Lane became a victim of The Belfry’s 18th hole yet again today - but unlike the 1993 Ryder Cup came away smiling this time.

While going into the lake cost him a vital defeat against Chip Beck nine years ago, another trip to the water was the only blip as Lane began the Benson and Hedges International Open with a three under par 69.

In the chilly conditions that was good enough for a share of the early clubhouse lead with Welshman Jamie Donaldson.

Out on the course Swede Jarmo Sandelin had topped the leaderboard at four under, but when he bogeyed the sixth - his 15th - there was a six-way tie that also involved Scottish rookie David Drysdale, Essex’s Daren Lee and Chesterfield’s David Carter.

It was not a happy morning for some of this September’s Ryder Cup side - especially Lee Westwood. Europe’s number one only two seasons ago, Westwood has not had a victory for 19 months and this week dropped out of the world’s top 50.

If he fails to climb back into it in the next three weeks he will have to qualify for the US Open next month, but this week did not look likely to help after he also double-bogeyed the 18th and then triple-bogeyed the eighth.

He stood six over par and needed a huge improvement tomorrow to survive the halfway cut.

Dubliner Paul McGinley started with a double bogey six at the 10th, burying his pitch in a greenside bunker, and with one to play was two over, while Darren Clarke and Bernhard Langer were one over - as was Jose Maria Olazabal, winner two years ago and the controversial omission from Europe’s team to take on the Americans at the course.

Lane had reached four under by the time he came to the 18th, his ninth of the day, but then bunkered his drive - just as he did against Beck.

On that occasion he tried for the green and failed. This time he chose to lay up - and failed to do that successfully either.

‘‘It was 80 yards to the water and I tried to hit it 60, but the ball took a big hop and went in,’’ he said.

There was the front nine to make amends, however, and a birdie at the long third was his only deviation from par.

Sandelin, also setting off on the back nine, had four birdies in his first seven holes, turned in 32 and then started for home with five more pars.

Colin Montgomerie, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam and visiting American John Daly were among the later starters.