Veteran Lane climbs Scandinavian leaderboard

England’s Barry Lane, playing his 533rd European Tour event, today fired a first round 64, seven under par, in the Scandinavian Masters in Stockholm.

Lane carded eight birdies and one bogey at Kungsangen to lie one shot behind clubhouse leader Marc Cayeux of Zimbabwe.

“It’s good to play with the youngsters and show them how it’s done,” joked Lane, who turned professional in 1976, two years before Cayeux was born.

“I had a bad spell in the 1990s but the last three years I’ve really got back into it and practiced hard.”

Lane also has 64-year-old Pete Coleman – formerly Bernhard Langer’s long-time caddy – on the bag, and added: “That’s 109 years between us but I shot Pete’s age today so he’s happy.”

After 10 years without a victory Lane won the British Masters last season, and should have won the Portuguese Open in March this year only to run up an amazing nine on the 72nd hole.

“It’s a shame but it was just one of those things that happen,” added Lane, who will be assured of some local support this week after marrying his Swedish girlfriend Camilla in April.

Sweden’s Niclas Fasth had looked like being Cayeux’s closest challenger after playing the first 11 holes in five under par as he chased back-to-back victories following his victory in Hamburg on Sunday.

But the former Ryder Cup player then duffed his approach to the third, his 12th hole, and four-putted from 20ft to run up a triple bogey seven. Fasth also took a double bogey on the sixth and eventually signed for a 69, two under par.

Playing partner Adam Scott, winner of the event in Malmo in 2003, could only manage an opening 70.

Cayeux was born in Lancaster but spent only a year in England before moving to Zimbabwe with his English mother and South African father.

Both his parents have lost their jobs in the troubled nation and Cayeux admits he feels the pressure of trying to support them. “Sometimes I use it to my advantage and sometimes it does affect me,” said Cayeux, who now lives in Johannesburg in South Africa.