Turespana Masters/Balearic Open
British golfer Andrew McKenna, whose first taste of European Tour life was ''a complete nightmare,'' found his second bite much more pleasurable in Majorca yesterday.
The 24-year-old Scot, based in Woking, began the Turespana Masters-Balearic Open with a four-under-par 68 to trail Spanish leaders Miguel Angel Martin and Santiago Luna by only one shot.
He thought for a moment he had made it a real day to remember by winning a #35,000 BMW car. It was on offer for a hole-in-one at the 186-yard fifteenth, and, having pitched into the hole and come out again in practice, McKenna this time hit his tee shot to within a foot.
The former British student champion's tour debut came in Morocco in March, his opening round being an 11 over par 83.
Eight weeks on, though, that near-miss for an ace followed ''the best shot I've ever hit'' - a No.5-iron from behind a tree at the fifteenth that he bent 20 yards on to the green. It finished 15 feet from the flag and he made the putt for one of seven birdies.
However, he had a double bogey at the short third, his twelfth. He paid the price for being too aggressive, the ball bouncing off a bank into a bush.
Martin was in a Majorca hospital on the eve of the tournament, fearing that he might have to pull out.
A kidney stone was discovered and Martin was told ''to relax, have a hot bath, take some herbal medicine and drink lots of water.'' He obeyed instructions so much he had to pay five visits to the toilet during his round.
In between, however, the 36-year-old collected six birdies (including one from the trees at the dog-leg sixteenth) and bogeyed only the difficult 459-yard eighteenth.
Martin may have to return to hospital soon for his right wrist. He has been suffering a recurrence of the tendinitis that led to him being controversially axed from Europe's Ryder Cup side last year. ''I've not had a full recovery from the operation last August,'' he said.
Luna, whose only Tour win came in Madeira three years ago, joined him at the top of the leaderboard by coming home in 33 with a seven-foot eagle putt at the 503-yard thirteenth and a10-foot birdie at the next.
Seve Ballesteros, who called Martin ''that little man'' in a bitter war of words after the decision to drop him from the Valderrama team, finds himself trailing him by eight strokes.
Ballesteros's continuing problems with his game were there for all to see as he struggled to a 75 and afterwards the 41-year-old, commented: ''It's still a problem of confidence.''
Alongside McKenna are
Australian John Wade, Italian Michele Reale and Lytham's John Hawksworth, who had five birdies on his card. Leading scores (GB & Ireland stated):
* denotes amateurs
67 - M A Martin (Spain), S Luna (Spain).
68 - M Reale (Italy), A McKenna, J Wade (Australia), J Hawksworth.
69 - J Rivero (Spain), I Giner (Spain), *R Quiros (Spain), M A Jimenez (Spain).
70 - S Bennett, J Bickerton, D Borrego (Spain), A Wall, D Lee, *S Garcia (Spain), A Sandywell, G Hutcheon.
71 - G Clark, R Lee, R Johnson, P McGinley, A Cabrera (Argentina), M Long (New Zealand), B Davis, P Broadhurst, R Jacquelin (France).
Others included: 72 - M Mackenzie, B Langer (Germany), A Forsbrand (Sweden), R Burns, D Hospital (Spain), J Robson, A Binaghi (Italy), A Clapp, GJ Brand, P Mitchell, D Howell.
73 - G Emerson, M Davis, M Pinero (Spain), P Streeter, M Gates, D Tapping, S Cage.
74 - S Richardson, M Mouland, P Curry, R Winchester, N Briggs, A Crerar.
75 - F Howley, S Ballesteros (Spain), R Drummond, D Lynn, M Plummer, D Cooper, R Boxall, R McFarlane, V Phillips.
76 - O Sellberg (Sweden), S Bottomley, G Nicklaus (USA), P Golding, M Blackey.
77 - I Garrido (Spain), G Owen, M Ballesteros (Spain).
78 - P Walton, D Brunton.
83 - D Thomson.
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