LONDON: The Madeira Island Open got off to a spectacular start with a hole-in-one, an albatross and an eagle two on the Santo da Serra course in Portugal yesterday.
New Zealander Stephen Scahill shared a one-shot lead with an eight-under 64, three strokes more than the five-year-old Santo da Serra
course record he shares with Britain's Kyron Sullivan.
They lead by a stroke from two more Britons, Matthew Morris and Richard McEvoy, in the 600,000 ($1.1 million) European Challenge Tour event.
Scahill, trying to ensure he keeps his Tour card for a third successive season, continued the form that brought him eighth place the previous week in the Portuguese Open.
The man who shot 61 in Madeira in 1998 got off to a blazing start on his back nine with an eagle-two and three successive birdies.
"I did briefly think about my course record," Scahill said, "but then I was also trying to stick to my game-plan for the day.
"That was to concentrate on each shot, never mind every hole."
Austria's Markus Brier, the first-round leader in Portugal last week, celebrated a hole-in-one at the fourth.
The ace, a six-iron from 185m, helped him to a 66. Briton Andrew Coltart also used a six-iron to find the hole from 207m for a two on the par-five 11th.
- REUTERS
