Paul Waring and Jeong Weon Ko lead British Masters
Jeong Weon Ko of France
Paul Waring and Jeong Weon Ko shared the lead after the opening round of the Betfred British Masters, while pre-tournament favourite Tyrrell Hatton was left frustrated despite a solid start.
Hatton, who ended his day with a three-under-par 69, was poised to finish just one shot behind the leaders after an impressive round at The Belfry.
However, a missed short par putt on the 18th, following an exceptional recovery from a greenside bunker, saw him close two shots adrift of Waring and Ko.
"I played some pretty good golf today, but missed pretty much every putt I looked at," Hatton admitted. "To be honest, I don't think I could have scored much worse."
The 32-year-old Ryder Cup star, who is competing on the DP World Tour after appealing against sanctions for playing in LIV Golf events, expressed his frustration with the missed opportunity. "You hit an unreal bunker shot and then miss from three-and-a-half feet, it's annoying."
Waring and Ko set the early pace with rounds of 67, while South Africa's Thriston Lawrence and Spain's Jorge Campillo finished just a shot behind with matching scores of 68.
England's Jordan Smith, Laurie Canter, and Andrew Wilson were among a group tied with Hatton at three-under.
Smith, despite struggling during his warm-up, was pleased with his performance. "I hit it great Monday through Wednesday, but couldn't hit my hat on the range this morning," Smith revealed. "But I went out there and played some really good stuff."
Smith remains in contention for one of the coveted PGA Tour cards available to top players in the Race to Dubai, aiming to follow in the footsteps of Robert MacIntyre and Matthieu Pavon, who have already tasted success on the PGA Tour this year.
