WALES SENIORS OPEN - FIRST ROUND LEADERBOARD
(GB & Ire unless stated)
-3 B Cameron, -1 C Rocca (Ita), J Rivero (Esp), Par K Spurgeon, R Drummond, T Johnstone (Zim), J Bruner (USA)
Selected others: +1 D Smyth +3 E Darcy, I Woosnam, G Brand

Englishman Bob Cameron is a two-time winner on the Seniors Tour

Bob Cameron has a two stroke lead over former Ryder Cup players José Rivero and Costantino Rocca after the first round of the Wales Seniors Open.

The Englishman hit an opening round three under par 69 after overcoming tricky conditions at Royal Porthcawl.

Home favourite Ian Woosnam, the Welsh former world number one, opened with a three-over par 75 and is in joint 13th.

"The conditions were difficult," said Cameron. "The wind was gusting and that is allied to a naturally tough course."

A fine display on the greens took the 56-year-old to the top of the leaderboard with five birdies on his card alongside an eagle three on the par five 12th hole.

With winds of up to 25mph making playing conditions tough on the links course, Cameron, Rivero and Rocca are the only players under par.

It was very tough out there - some of these guys shooting three under par must have been playing a different golf course to us Former world number one Ian Woosnam

Two time Senior Tour winner Cameron, who finished tied third in the season curtain raiser in Brunei, admitted he was pleased with his start.

"If you are not a natural low ball striker - and I'm not - it's tough," he said. "But I chipped and putted my way around.

"The tees have been moved forward which has helped but on some holes the wind is blowing across the course so it is a severe test."

Ryder Cup winning captain Woosnam, who won the Irish Seniors Open two weeks ago, recovered from a double bogey on the third to finish on three over par and six strokes behind Cameron.

The 1991 Masters champion said: "It was very tough out there - some of these guys shooting three under par must have been playing a different golf course to us.

"The opening holes were extremely hard and if you hit some bad shots you get some high scores out there.

"There's two more days to go - you've just have to hang in there.

"This is how I started in Ireland - three over par - so these guys have started well but there are two rounds to go and you have to dig in and be there for the back nine on the last day."

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