Ramsay makes flying start in Turin

Richie Ramsay, who three years ago became the first Scot for 108 years to win the American amateur title, made a flying start at the Italian Open in Turin today.

Yet to register a top-20 finish on the European Tour, the 25-year-old from Aberdeen raced to the turn in a five-under-par 31 to lead by two from compatriot Alan McLean and Welshman Bradley Dredge.

Colin Montgomerie, however, was trailing seven behind after hitting one ball into a river and then throwing another in for good measure.

Ramsay, whose US Amateur victory led to him playing with Phil Mickelson at The Masters and Tiger Woods at the US Open the following year, failed to come through the Tour qualifying school at the end of that season.

But he had two wins on the 2008 Challenge Tour and began the South African Open with a 66 in December before falling back to 26th place.

The former Walker Cup player has fallen to 213th on the “Race to Dubai” money list by missing his last three halfway cuts, but kicked off this morning with back-to-back birdies, then picked up further strokes on the fifth, eighth and ninth.

McLean, given a medical extension to his Tour membership for the start of this season because of a foot injury that limited him to only 10 starts last year, had a hat-trick of birdies from the fourth.

Dredge, meanwhile, birdied the third, eighth and ninth to turn in 33.

As for Montgomerie, he was looking to hit back from missing the cut in Spain last week following a second-round 81 which equalled his worst round in Europe in the last five years.

But on the 197-yard 12th, only his third of the day, the Ryder Cup captain dumped his poorly-struck tee shot into the water in front of the green.

And then, after failing to make a 12-foot bogey putt, he tossed that ball in as well.

A birdie two holes later was followed by a bogey on the difficult 16th, but another birdie on the 435-yard third meant he was one over.

That was one better than last week’s winner Thomas Levet and defending champion Hennie Otto, the South African’s round including a double-bogey six at the 468-yard 17th.

Darren Clarke and former Open champions Darren Clarke and John Daly were among the afternoon starters.