Busy start to European Open

The first three hours of the European Open at the London Club had just about everything today – from a hole-in-one to a quadruple bogey nine.

England’s John Bickerton aced the 194-yard third with a five-iron and thanks to birdies on the next two was part of a three-way tie for the lead on four-under-par.

Alongside him were Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Swede Peter Hanson, who on Monday holed in one in a play-off to earn himself a place in next month’s US Open.

The nine came from 2005 US Open champion Michael Campbell after he lost two balls off the tee at the long 12th. And his problems did not end there.

The New Zealander, who has had shoulder and back problems for the last six months, managed only 44 for the back nine and at eight-over already looked like missing the cut for the ninth straight tournament.

Not that he was alone in struggling.

World number-five Henrik Stenson, who shot an opening 78 at Wentworth last week in his first start since winning the Players Championship in Florida, ran up double bogeys on both the 12th and 15th.

First the Swede flew over the green from a bunker and duffed his first chip back, then four-putted en route to a five-over inward half of 41.

Playing partner Sergio Garcia, last year’s Players champion and currently fourth in the rankings, began his bid with a double-bogey six and turned only in 38.

Garcia, runner-up to Ross Fisher last year, admitted this week that the break-up of his relationship with Greg Norman’s daughter Morgan-Leigh has affected him badly.

His opening drive hooked towards the lake and although it narrowly avoided the water he was in such deep rough that his first thrash moved the ball only a few inches and his next was merely a hack back onto the fairway.

The other member of the group was Fisher and although he was the best of the three on the back nine, a one-over 37 was not what he was hoping for a year after he started with a course record 63 and went on to win by seven.

John Daly was level-par after seven and fellow American Ben Curtis one-under, while Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Irish Open amateur winner Shane Lowry – now making his professional debut – were among the later starters.