It is just after 6.30am Monday morning and the day after Frenchman Victor Dubuisson became the first-ever Turkish Airlines Open champion.

There is a few people on the practice putting green but no one on the first tee of the Montgomerie Maxx Royal course.

The sun is starting to make its present felt on a morning where there is not a cloud in the sky.

I stand on the first tee and I am thinking of the MasterCard advertisement – Priceless.

I tee up noticing a man and a woman ahead of me but then I soon catch-up to them and when the woman made a mess of her tee shot at the par three, second hole, they politely call me through.  It’s in these situations you don’t want to mess up.  I land a 7-iron to the center the green and take two putts for the first par of the round.

I say ‘thank you’ to the two and that’s the only time I see them again throughout the next two hours and 30 minutes.

While the ground was heavy with an overnight dew, it turns into a wonderful morning on what is a wonderful golf course.

Of course, it wasn’t all plain sailing as I purposely did not mention I ‘wiped’ the first hole but then I did manage to par the sixth, seventh, 10th and put a 7-iron to about 10-foot pin high left of the flag at the par three 16th where a day prior Welshman Jamie Donaldson earned himself  1 million Turkish Airlines air miles for an ace.

After walking off 18 around I ventured to the front of the clubhouse where a fellow who was organizing a corporate outing asked me what time I was teeing-up.

“No, I’ve just finished,” I said.

I look at my wrist watch and it’s about 9.10am.

Absolutely priceless!

* Click on photographs to enlarge.