No plane sailing for Davis

To say that European tour golfer Brian Davis has had an interesting month is putting it mildly.

The Londoner resumed the French Open at Le Golf National near Paris today two strokes off the lead and wondering what on earth might happen next.

On the course Davis will remember June for the United States Open. He flew to Chicago and qualified, then flew home again both for the British Masters and to see his wife Julie, taken into hospital for tests after collapsing while he was away.

Then he flew back to the States and in the first major he had ever played there started eagle-birdie-birdie-birdie to be five under par and clear leader.

It did not go on like that, not surprisingly, and he eventually finished 61st. But then came another adventure.

During the night flight home Davis’s next door neighbour in first-class woke him to say that he could smell something.

It turned out to be a fire in the under-carriage. While those in economy slept on Davis watched for two and a half hours as carpets and floor were ripped up near him and the seriousness of the situation was assessed.

Eventually the decision was taken to land in Nova Scotia, where Davis spent a full day before being able to get home.

“It was very worrying on the plane and I was very glad to get on the ground,” he said.

“But compared to Chicago it was freezing and I slept in all my clothes to try to keep warm.”

The incident was Davis’s second air scare in less than a year. A propeller stopped on a light plane he was in last September flying from Germany to Switzerland and an emergency landing had to be made then.

Australian Stephen Leaney, runner-up in the US Open, was also on that flight.

Joint leaders after the first round of the French Open were Luton’s Philip Golding, Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and French amateur Eric Chaudouet.

Alongside Davis is Justin Rose, who incurred a one-stroke penalty for stepping on his ball in the rough yesterday, while Leaney is on two under, four behind.