Richie Ramsay and Calum Hill each tapped-in for closing hole birdies to share the leading Scottish honours with rounds of six-under par 65s for a share of sixth place on day one of the Canary Islands Championship at Tenerife.
Ramsay, 37, didn’t drop a shot in an equal low in 29 rounds this season on the Costa Adeje resort course that is playing host to a Tour event for a second week running.
Hill, 26, began with a hat-trick of birdies in six birdies and while dropping a shot on 11, he capped his round with an eagle ‘3’ at the 11th before completing the closing six holes in two under.
And the key to the Crook of Devon’s golfers score was just one three-putt
Hill said: “Compared to my putting last week, I only had one three putt today and many of them last week, so that was much better.”
And Connor Syme walked-off feeling short-changed after a pair of early round eagles in an eventual five-under 66.
Syme had bogeyed his opening hole but quickly made amends in chipping-in from the back of the green at the 11th, or the second hole of his round, ahead of holing a monster 40-footer for eagle at the par-5 13th.
And it could have been two eagles and an ace in four holes as his tee shot into the par-3 14th hit the flagstick and stopped just six inches from the hole.
The birdie went in some way in healing the hurt in taking an ‘8’ at the same hole five days earlier during the last round of the Tenerife Open.
The Drumoig golfer then also birdied three birdies in four holes but then played the last 10 holes in one-over with two birdies but three bogeys.
Syme said: “It’s not very often you come off the golf course disappointed in shooting a 66.
“I was absolutely flying to be six-under through eight holes and with a bogey, a disappointing bogey on nine, so it was a funny day.
“So, five-under is a good start but it could have definitely been a lot better.”
Grant Forrest was well-placed after a four-under par 67.
Francesco Laporta signed for nine-under par 62 to lead the event by two shots. The Italian had observers on a ’59’ watch in moving to nine-under and with still four holes to play but four closing pars ruled out Laporta joining England’s Ollie Fisher as only a second play in the 49-history of the European Tour to shoot the magical ’59’.
