England’s Jordan Smith overcame a worrying warm-up to close with a 69 in the first round of the Betfred British Masters.
Smith carded five birdies and two bogeys at The Belfry to join compatriot Laurie Canter in the clubhouse on three under par, two shots behind early leader Jeong weon Ko.
“I’m very happy, it’s probably one of the worst warm-ups I’ve ever had so I was quite surprised when I got out there,” Smith told the PA news agency.
“A lot of good stuff, just a couple of short putts missed unfortunately, but overall really, really happy.
“I hit it great Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and then got on to the range this morning and couldn’t hit my hat. I guess it’s a warm-up for a reason and I went out there and played some really good stuff to be fair.
“The course is in really good condition, probably the best I’ve seen it and probably the toughest I’ve seen it for a long time. The rough’s up in a few places and the firm conditions makes it tricky if you’re slightly out of position.
“This sort of course and the way it’s set up definitely suits me. Today the long game was great and that’s where I could take advantage of the par fives and par fours.”
Smith had missed the cut in his last three starts following a runners-up finish in the BMW International Open in Munich, but remains in contention to claim one of the 10 PGA Tour cards on offer to the top players in the Race to Dubai at the end of the season who are not already exempt.
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and France’s Matthieu Pavon have both tasted victory on the PGA Tour this year after securing their playing rights via the same route.
“It’s definitely inspiring to see those guys go over there and show the Americans that us Europeans can do it over there,” Smith said.
“That’s the main goal and with a few more good results, you never know.”
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