Oleson bounces back from injury

Thorbjorn Olesen shot a seven-under 63 in the first round of the Scottish Open in East Lothian on Thursday to claim the overnight lead.

The Dane only returned to action in May after spending several months out of the game recovering from surgery on an injured tendon in his left hand and was happy to make a strong start at Gullane Golf Club.

“It’s been a tough time but I keep working on the right things and hopefully it will come,” Olesen told the European Tour website.

“I showed today I can still shoot low rounds. I hit almost every green – only missing the 18th – and hit a lot of fairways, which was the key.”

Olesen stayed bogey free throughout the round, firing three birdies on his way out and four after the turn. He currently leads by two shots, with a group of eight players tied for second on five under.
Jimmy Walker, Johan Carlsson, Alejandro Cañizares, Adrian Otaegui, Seve Benson, Matthew Nixon, Daniel Brooks and Richard Finch all shot scores of 65.

They lead their closest rivals by a single shot, with a group that includes defending champion Justin Rose, Graeme McDowell, Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar tied for tenth on 64.

McDowell has just one top ten finish on the European Tour this season and missed the cut at the French Open last week, where he was attempting to win his third consecutive title, after shooting a 78 in round two.

The Northern Irishman says he has been studying footage of himself from 2010, the year he won the US Open at Pebble Beach, in attempt to get back to his best.
“I’m trying to get back to basics and we have narrowed my stance and used my body to swing the club how I used to,” McDowell said.

“I feel as if in an attempt to improve some things in my technique, I’ve actually got worse. It was also nice to get back on a course that gives you a few opportunities in benign conditions.

“I just need a few low numbers to get my belief and confidence back and today will go a long way towards that.”

Five time major winner Phil Mickelson shot four birdies and three bogeys to card a one-under 69 in round one and is currently tied for 54th on the leaderboard.