Oliver Wilson has drawn on a new Callaway Big Bertha driver to steer his way to a one shot lead on the opening day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.
The England-born Wilson made the most of the invitation afforded him in grabbing nine birdies in an eight under par 64 to be now among five players who share the Carnoustie course record.
“I put a new Callaway driver in the bag and that has helped so much in recent weeks as I shot a 63 a fortnight ago in the Kazakhstan Open which is our major on the Challenge Tour, so now shoot a 64 here at Carnoustie is very pleasing,” he said.
“I only dropped one shot which was disappointing at 17, but then to birdie the last makes up for that, so delighted to get Carnoustie and the tougher of the three courses out of the way.”
Oliver Wilson (ENG) equalled the course record during R1 at Carnoustie of the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, The Old Course, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Picture: David Lloyd / www.golffile.ie
Wilson’s return to form is timely given memories remain strong of the now 34-year old Wilson, with nine second place results to his credit on the main European Tour, having been a member of the 2008 European Ryder Cup team, and the last time Europe lost to the U.S.
And as the sounds of gun fire from the local Carnoustie rifle range echoed across the Open Championship golf course a strong showing from Wilson this week could very well see the popular Callaway staff player make that long overdue return to the main Tour.
“I had a real sense of anticipation coming here this week as it’s been a while since I competed on the main Tour and I also kind of regret not playing more events this year because with my ranking I could have got into more than I thought,” he said.
“But then I’ve done well in the past here and it’s just such a great event and get back into a big arena like the Dunhill Links, and it helps me to focus a bit more.
“The last couple of weeks I have been hitting the ball nicely.
“I think I have proved myself today that the rest of my game is in decent shape to play well and it’s just been purely technical things.
“I returned a good score in shooting a new course record at the Kazakhstan Open and you can’t post that kind of a score out of the blue if things are not working well, so I have started working on different things that have started to click and since then I have been hitting the ball nicely.
“I can see a difference in that I now have control over the golf ball because there is some good tests out there on some holes and I felt I came through well, and it’s been mainly my tee shots that have been improving all the time.
Oliver Wilson gets down low to check the line of his putt on route to a equal course record 64 at Carnoustie. (Photo – David Lloyd/www.golffile.ie)
“And that’s where this new 9.5 degree Callaway Big Bertha driver is helping as I have been driving the ball extremely well and if you do that then it usually filters through to the rest of your game.”
Among Wilson’s nine second place results was runner-up in the 2009 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin is in second place after posting a 65 also at Carnoustie while triple Major winning Padraig Harrington returned to form despite bogeying his closing two holes in a round of 66 also at Carnoustie.
Sharing third place with Harrington is fellow Irishman Shane Lowry who was out at Kingsbarns.
