Putting woes sink Mark Brown

Mark Brown blamed a dismal putting display for not finishing higher up the leader board on day one of the British Open Championship at Turnberry.

Brown recorded 33 putts in superb scoring conditions on the Ailsa course to end the opening round of his first-ever British Open trailing seven shots behind Spanish leader Miguel Angel Jimenez, who shot a six-under 64.

The 34-year old Auckland golfer dropped three strokes early but fought back to regain the shots with birdies at the seventh, 15th and 17th holes.

But a three-putt bogey at the last seemed to rub further salt into a day of putting woes.

“I got off to an awful start to be three over after six holes and then played pretty good for the next 12 holes but putted like a goat,” Brown said.

“I had 33 putts out there today so if it’s not one thing, it’s the other. It was a day where I played well tee to green, but it means nothing because my putting was awful.

“It was also a disappointing way to finish having managed to fight my way back to level par but then bogey the last. The conditions were perfect out there so considering the way I played a 71 is a disappointing score.”

Brown managed to get back to level par with a birdie at the 17th but only after missing a three-metre putt for eagle.

He then three-putted the last.

- NZPA