Strange by name, strange by nature

It was a case of Strange by name, strange by nature in the first round of the Scandinavian Masters in Stockholm.

Australian Scott Strange was called into the €1.6m event at 45 minutes’ notice and made it to the tee with just minutes to spare, but ended the day with a course record and one-shot lead.

Strange was first reserve at Arlandastad and only learned he was in the 156-strong field while on the bus en route to the course after Scotland’s David Drysdale withdrew with a neck injury.

The 30-year-old from Perth was first out at 7.30am local time and only arrived at the course at 7.21am, but sprinted to the 10th tee and promptly started with a birdie.

Four more birdies and a bogey added up to an outward nine of 32 and two more birdies coming home saw him establish the course record with a 64, six under par, one shot ahead of Swedish amateur Fredrik Qvicker and England's Sam Walker.

“I was on the bus at 6.45am when I got a phone call saying I was in,” Strange revealed. “As soon as I heard that we hit a traffic jam and the bus driver wouldn’t break the speed limit for me.

“I got off the bus at 7.21am and flashed through the car park and arrived on the 10th tee puffing away. I didn’t even have a caddie but fortunately David’s caddie was there and agreed to work for me instead.

“I had to get him (Gerry Byrne) to get my clubs and I pretty much ran past him to the tee, changed my shoes, left my other shoes in the starter’s tent and said: ’Let’s go’.

“I was thinking on the bus the worst case scenario is that I’ll be disqualified, second case scenario is that I get a two-shot penalty for being late but the best-case scenario is making my tee time and that's what happened.”

Strange did not even have time for a practice round because his clubs did not arrive until Wednesday.

“I don’t want to mention which airline mislaid my clubs because I’ve got to fly back with them as well!” he said, adding: “It’s amazing how you can get to the first tee all flustered and play a good round.

“I’m surprised to shoot that score with everything that was going through my mind but I know I’m capable of doing it. I suppose it might be the way forward but I don’t want to go through all that again!”

The unknown Qvicker has just finished his first year at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga and is working in a golf shop this summer to help make ends meet.

The 21-year-old received an invite into the tournament after narrowly failing to qualify and made the most of it with five birdies in seven holes in a back nine of 31.

“Of course I’m a bit surprised, I didn’t expect a 65 in my first round,” he said. “I was very nervous on the first tee but hit a super drive and almost holed my second shot.

“A 63 is my lowest round but, under the circumstances, this is the best round of my career.”

Walker qualified for the US Open earlier this season, his first major championship, but a missed cut at Oakmont was part of a depressing sequence of 13 early exits in 14 events.

The 29-year-old bounced back with 20th place in the Deutsche Bank Championship in Germany and ninth in the Russian Open a fortnight ago, but still needs to improve from 148th on the Order of Merit into the top 115 by the end of the season to keep his card.

“I’ve won 120,000 euro so far and my goal is to win another 100,000,” Walker said.

“The prize money in events keeps going up, which is good on the one hand but on the other it means you need to win more each year to keep your card.”

Star attraction John Daly, second after the first round at Southern Hills before fading to 32nd, could only manage a 72, two over par, the same score as playing partner and defending champion Marc Warren of Scotland.

“I just can’t seem to get anything going out there,” said Daly, winner of the 1991 USPGA and 1995 Open Championship.

“If I miss a fairway, it seems like I’m not getting the greatest of breaks, like on the ninth where I’m just a bit off and find myself in a hole under a tree.

“It’s just stuff like that which makes me feel the golfing gods are not on my side right now.”

Ireland's Gary Murphy and Nick Dougherty lead the Irish challenge on -2. David Higgins is a shot further back.