Austrian and top-ranked Bernd Wiesberger, and despite the poor weather, clearly enjoyed his first round at the famed Belfry in posting a five-under par 67 on day one of the ISPS Handa UK Championship.
The current World No. 30, and highest-ranked player in this week’s field, was still striving to make a name for himself in 2008 on the secondary European Challenge Tour event when the European Tour was last at the course for the 2008 British Masters.
Despite the lack of familiarity, the Austrian looked to be making himself very much at home on the English layout, with a bogey on the difficult last as heavy rain arrived the only blemish on his five under scorecard.
“The rain came on pretty much on the last tee box,” he said. “Not the tee shot you want to have. Bit of wind and strong rain.
“For most of the round it was nice, not too much wind and decent weather. Just the last hole that we caught some rain.
Bernd Wiesberger blasts his way from a bunker on day one of the ISDPS Handa UK Championship. (Photo – European Tour)
“I would have taken the score beforehand. I had phases out there where everything went my way and I was scoring easily.
“The last four holes, it kind of broke off and felt like I lost four shots those last four holes so not that happy. All in all I’ve got to say it was a decent start. The game – there are a few things that can be improved in there – but decent start.”
He added: “I was a pro in 2008 but I played on Challenge Tour so I wasn’t here, I believe that was the last time they had a British Masters here. My first time here and I just enjoyed it out there today.
“Good golf course, good off the tee. It makes you think a little bit to position the ball in the right spot on a couple of holes. Some are gettable with less wind than we have had the last two days so try to take advantage of that.”
French golfer Benjamin Hebert was alongside Wiesberger after a bogey free effort in what was his first round since making his US PGA Championship debut earlier this month.
And Herbert revealed he had been working hard in the time in between.
“I changed a lot of stuff on the two weeks off,” he said. “It was a good test and I’m happy because everything went very well today. Bogey free is good, especially in the first round.
“I worked a lot with my coach during the last two months. I had eye surgery just after the lockdown so I didn’t play for four months. We changed a lot of things, that’s why I changed the shaft on my driver, I changed the shaft on my irons also. We are looking for more distance with an easier swing and this happens so it’s good, I’m very happy.”
- Thanks to European Tour
