Dutch nightmare for Warren

Scotland’s Marc Warren, winner of the Scandinavian Masters on Sunday, came down to earth with a bump in the KLM Open in Holland today.

Warren claimed his first European Tour title in fine style in Malmo, carding a closing 69 to force a play-off with local favourite Robert Karlsson, which he won on the second extra hole.

That ensured the 25-year-old a high-profile pairing with Colin Montgomerie and Holland’s Robert-Jan Derksen in the opening two rounds in Zandvoort, but the former Walker Cup player got off to a nightmare start in blustery and overcast conditions this morning.

Starting from the 10th, Warren dropped four shots in his first three holes and after stopping the rot with a birdie on the 16th, also bogeyed the 17th and 18th to reach the turn in 40 shots.

Another bogey followed on the third before a birdie on the fifth left him five over par with three to play.

In contrast, Montgomerie was enjoying a successful return to action following a two-week break after missing the cut in the British Open at Hoylake.

The 43-year-old Scot opened with four pars but then picked up birdies on the 14th, 16th and 17th to justify his position as pre-tournament favourite.

A bogey at the fifth dropped Montgomerie back to two under par, however, three shots behind the lead held by Denmark’s Anders Hansen, who was five under with two to play.

In a weakened field, Montgomerie is one of just six players in the world’s top 100 taking part, the same six also travelling to Chicago next week for the final major of the year, the USPGA Championship, at Medinah.

“I like to be competitive before a major,” the eight-time Order of Merit winner said. “I like to give myself a bit of confidence if I do well.

“We are playing a links course before a parkland course next week but it is quite soft really. It is not bouncing off and there are not really many links-type shots to be played.”

Seve Ballesteros was honoured at a pre-tournament dinner on Tuesday to mark the 30th anniversary of his first victory on the European Tour, the 1976 Dutch Open, and his nephew Raul was keeping up the family tradition at Kennemer Golf Club.

Ballesteros was one under with four to play after two birdies and one bogey.