Wedding day blues for Calcavecchia

American Mark Calcavecchia was excused for having other things on his mind as he made a poor start to the Telecom Italian Open in sunny Milan today.

Whatever he scored in the opening round the 1989 Open champion was going to remember the day for another reason – he was getting married again.

Calcavecchia, of Italian descent, was taking his fiancee – and occasional caddie – Brenda to Lake Coma, an hour’s drive away from the Castello di Tolcinasco course, for an afternoon ceremony.

The Ryder Cup star, whose 8.20am tee-off time fitted in nicely with his plans, struggled to the turn in 38 and after a birdie at the long first, his 10th, promptly double-bogeyed the next.

At three over he was already nine strokes adrift of Ireland’s Gary Murphy, who burst into the lead with a run of four successive birdies from the 11th.

On six under Murphy was two in front of England’s Simon Khan, Scot Dean Robertson, German Marcel Siem, Argentina’s Sebastian Fernandez and Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.

Murphy was caught when tour rookie Fernandez-Castano closed with an eagle on the ninth for a six-under 66 and the Kilkenny golfer then fell one behind by bogeying the 387-yard 17th.

He was joined in second by Khan, whose eventful round continued with another birdie at the long 15th.

Robertson’s only tour win came in the event six years ago, but he then started suffering from clinical depression and after being given a medical extension to his tour membership he came through the qualifying school last November.

He had an amazing seven threes in his outward 31 – four of them birdies and then, after a bogey on the seventh, an eagle at the 513-yard ninth.

Robertson led at that point but then came a bogey on the 11th.

Playing partner Khan, who defends the Wales Open title next month, also eagled the ninth and had five birdies, but also a triple-bogey seven on the 459-yard sixth.

Defending champion Graeme McDowell, playing with Calcavecchia, was one under with three to play and on the same mark was Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam.

Calcavecchia, whose father’s family came from Sicily, is making his debut in the event.

“For years it was always up against the Colonial – one of my favourite courses – but it’s not any more and it’s worked out well,” he said.

“We were trying to find a good place to get married and Brenda did some research. There’s a big hotel complex with a wedding hall and we’re going to take a boat ride and have dinner. We’ll be back at about midnight and I can get a good sleep before I play again.”

The honeymoon is being postponed. Calcavecchia is playing in the Byron Nelson Championship in Texas next week.

“We are going to have another ceremony on May 27 in Arizona and that’s when my kids and Brenda’s parents and friends and family will be able to come from all over the country.

“We haven’t planned anything special for honeymoon yet. A lot of places we go are like a honeymoon anyway.

“It’s hard when you travel all the time for a living to take a week and travel some more. But we will take some time – maybe go to Hawaii early next year and do some different islands.”