A perspiration soaked Colin Montgomerie continued his impressive Seniors Tour form in being joined by Stephen Gallacher as the leading Scots on the opening day of the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky.
Monty posted an impressive one under par 70 before being joined by Gallacher on the same score in the meltdown conditions on the Valhalla course.
It was Monty’s first round in a regular Major since missing the cut in the same tournament four years ago at Whistling Straits.
Colin Montgomerie (SCO) tees off the 9th tee during Thursday’s Round 1 of the 2014 PGA Championship. (Picture Eoin Clarke, www.golffile.ie)
Monty seized three birdies, including holing a superb 20-footer at his last hole, along with one less bogey to be just five shots behind the leading duo of England’s Lee Westwood and American pair of Ryan Palmer and Kevin Chappell, who is contesting only his second PGA Chmpionship.
In contrast, Monty is celebrating his 20th appearance since making his debut in 1992 and in a Major he lost out in a play-off three years later.
And while Monty looked impressive hitting all but two of the 14 fairways he joked the highlight of his day for the now 51-year old double Senior Major Championship winner was managing to qualify for the season-ending Major on the regular tour.
“Just getting here today was the highlight of my day and winning the Seniors PGA Championship to get myself here,” he said smiling.
“Also to be standing on the first tee and being announced as it’s been four years since I last played a regular major as I’ve been commentating a lot lately, and that’s where I am headed this afternoon to commentate for SKY and it’s always nice to do that having birdied the last.”
Monty’s opening round score matched the pair of 70s he posted over the weekend of the 2000 PGA Championship on route to a share of 39th place behind Tiger Woods when the championship was last staged at Valhalla.
However the Scot struggled to recall much of that tournament and in the year he won a third straight BMW PGA Championship.
“I can’t remember anything about being here in 2000, and hell, that was 14 years ago,” he joked.
“What I can say is that the golf course is much, much longer since back then. I have gained about four per cent and the golf course is taking 20%, so you’re very much shorter and I’m hitting longer shots into the greens.
“Also today the pin placements were very tight and compared to the Champions Tour where I have played for a year-and-a-bit now the pins are not located in the corners like they are here.
“This is real corner stuff and the green-keeper here did quite well to actually find the green for the pins.”
Gallacher kept alive his charge towards automatic Ryder Cup selection with three birdies in his 70.
“I played well today and hit a lot of nice putts that didn’t quite go in so it could have been even better which is encouraging,” he said.
“I agree with Monty as the pins were tough but the greens are pretty soft so if you can get the distance you can fly at them.
“But then Lee’s six under is a phenomenal score round here but I can’t do anything about that as all I can only worry about my score and when you go under par in the first round of a Major, especially over here, then you are never going to be too far away.”
Marc Warren, with four birdies and just as many bogeys, is well placed at level par while the excitement Russell Knox had being out in the first group was soured when he walked off five hours later bitterly disappointed with his maiden PGA Championship score of a four over par 75.
“I was fighting my swing and while I made pars on the longer holes, as I said it was the easier holes that I butchered and you can’t do that,” Knox said.
One of those holes he said he ‘butchered’ was the short downhill par four 13th where from 95-yards out he put his second shot into the water on route to a double bogey.
