Barry Lane turned down six and a half times the money to support the Cleveland Srixon Scottish Senior Championship to begin a serious defence of his title.
The 51-year-old Englishman, a former Scottish Open winner at Gleneagles, completed a unique double in 2010 by also winning the Seniors version on the Torrance Course at Fairmont St Andrews but had a late invite into the lucrative Senior Players Championship event in New York.
There is £1.6 million on offer there but Lane felt he had to come back to Scotland, even though he sees the Champions Tour as his ultimate destination and that the prize fund here is a mere £250,000. He justified the decision with a 67 to lie two behind first-round leader Peter Fowler.
Lane explained: “I felt being this week’s defending champion, I didn’t want to disappoint the sponsors by withdrawing two days before the start of the tournament.
“I’ve played in Europe all my life, and while I want to play on the Champions Tour, if I was a sponsor you would want your defending champion to play. I want to support the European Seniors Tour as there are some great players out here, it’s a great tour and we need our sponsors.”
Lane didn’t feel he had all his game with him all day but came down the back stretch in four-under figures and feels in a good run of form, despite the fact he continues to play the regular European Tour.
He continued: “That’s eight or nine rounds under par over both tours in a row now and I’m actually playing better on the main tour, but it helps to come to a proper golf course like this one again, where you’re hitting good five-irons in rather than wedges.
“I’ve done exactly the same as last year, two and a half weeks off without lifting a club and I’ve got a nice pair of red tartan trousers for Sunday if I’m allowed to wear them as an Englishman!”
Fowler’s leading margin all came on the final hole as the Australian eagled there after a birdie at the short 17th to post a 65, with American Jerry Bruner sharing second with Lane.
Sharing fourth on three-under is a group of five including Gary Wolstenholme, the distinguished career amateur who had turned pro as a senior, another American Gary Koch and Gordon Manson, St Andrews-born and on his rookie season on the Seniors Tour.
A teaching pro in Austria for 27 years and naturalised there, he is playing for himself these days.
“I’m still just finding my way in tournament golf after all this time,” said the 50-year-old, who still has family in Anstruther and Arbroath.
Continued with scores…
The leading Scots were Bill Longmuir and Andrew Oldcorn on two-under 70s, with the course designer battling to get back to level par after a horrendous start.
Sam bemoaned: “This game just does my head in as I had prepared perfectly. All I wanted to do was to get off to a good start so I knocked it on the first and three-putted, then drove it in the water at the third for a double and before you know it, I’m three over after three.
“It’s the national Senior Open in Scotland, and it’s also on ‘my’ course, but then it’s always nice to birdie the last, and after the start I’m pleased to get it back to level par.”
Ian Woosnam was on two-under after the first day; John Chillas and Gordon Brand Jr were well placed after 71s but Sandy Lyle’s first Senior Open in Scotland saw him return a disappointing two-over 74.
Collated first round scores (Sco unless stated, par 72):65 P Fowler (Aus)67 J Bruner (USA), B Lane (Eng)69 G Wolstenholme (Eng), G Koch (USA), G Manson (Aut), L Carbonetti (Arg), J Harrison (Eng)70 R Chapman (Eng), B Lincoln (Rsa), D Smyth (Irl), C Mason (Eng), A Oldcorn, B Longmuir, I Woosnam (Wal)71 H Carbonetti (Arg), J Chillas, T Johnstone (Zim), P Smith, G Brand Jnr, M James (Eng), P Curry (Eng), B Cameron (Eng), S Van Vuuren (Rsa), C Rocca (Ita), J Quiros (Spa), G Banister (Aus), A Forsbrand (Swe)72 N Job (Eng), A Sherborne (Eng), S Torrance, T Thelen (USA), D Hospital (Spa), A Fernandez (Chi), R Drummond73 M Clayton (Aus), A Sowa (Arg), M Mouland (Wal), D O’Sullivan (Irl), M Belsham (Eng), J Heggarty (NIrl), G Ryall (Eng), G Brand (Eng), G Ralph (Eng), D Johnson (USA), D Russell (Eng)74 C Williams (Rsa), K Spurgeon (Eng), E Polland (NIrl), A Murray (Eng), S Lyle, F Mann, M Farry (Fra), D Cambridge (Jam), J Stuart (USA), J Gould (Eng)75 G Cali (Ita), N Ratcliffe (Aus), J Rhodes (Eng), E Darcy (Irl)76 V Garcia (Spa), D Durnian (Eng), I Mosey (Eng), M Briggs (Eng)77 M Pinero (Spa), P Mitchell (Eng), C Grenier (Aut), P Dahlberg (Swe)78 B Smit (Rsa), M Moreno (Spa), A Garrido (Spa)81 M Bembridge (Eng), G Hopkins (USA)92 R Hopkins (USA).