British Masters 2015: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights
Two birdies on the final two holes gave young English outsider Matthew Fitzpatrick the outright lead on the first day of the 2015 British Masters, with a host of names sitting just one shot behind the burgeoning golfer after his round of 64, seven-under par.
A bogey on the 18th by Robert Karlsson relinquished the Swede's lead late in the day, as the competition returned to the European Tour after a seven-year hiatus.
Marc Warren, Lee Slattery, Soren Kjeldsen and Karlsson ended Thursday on six-under par for their first-round efforts in an enthralling day of action at Woburn, Bedfordshire.
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Read on for the top of the leaderboard on Day 1, with a recap of Thursday's golf:
| 1 | Matthew Fitzpatrick | -7 | 64 |
| T2 | Marc Warren | -6 | 65 |
| T2 | Lee Slattery | -6 | 65 |
| T2 | Soren Kjeldsen | -6 | 65 |
| T2 | Robert Karlsson | -6 | 65 |
| T6 | Mikael Lundberg | -5 | 66 |
| T6 | Shane Lowry | -5 | 66 |
| T6 | Padraig Harrington | -5 | 66 |
| T6 | Marcus Fraser | -5 | 66 |
| T6 | Bradley Dredge | -5 | 66 |
| T6 | Romain Wattel | -5 | 66 |
To access the full leaderboard, visit the European Tour's official website by clicking here.
Thursday Recap
After thousands of free tickets were distributed to the general public, the Woburn galleries were full for the first day of the 2015 British Masters.
A number of home nation talents performed well on Day 1, with Scotland's Marc Warren and Englishman Lee Slattery posting excellent early scores of 65 for their opening rounds.
But it was Matthew Fitzpatrick who stole the headlines late on, dramatically leapfrogging the front-runners, as described by the Press Association's golf correspondent, Phil Casey:
It appeared it might be an inconsistent day for Fitzpatrick after a birdie on the first was followed by a bogey on the second, but the young golfer refocused to nail down a near-perfect round of tournament golf.
Birdies on the fifth and sixth were followed by a tremendous eagle on the seventh, propelling the world No. 111 up the leaderboard.
A further birdie on the 13th appeared it would keep the youngster in the hunt with the chasing pack, but two glorious birdie opportunities were taken by the talent on the final two holes to give him the surprise outright lead.
World No. 56 Warren strutted his way around the Bedfordshire course with style and class, scoring birdies on holes one, three, five and seven to blitz the leaderboard.
Two further birdies on his second-nine left the Scot six-under-par for the day in a bogey free round to give him a share of second place.
Slattery's card was equally impressive; Four birdies between the fourth and ninth attained a great position for the golfer, but three wonderful birdies in the last three holes executed a tremendous day for the world No. 152.
Kjeldsen, Karlsson and Fitzpatrick also shot rounds of six-under par, with a host of low scores achieved throughout Thursday.
Ireland's Padraig Harrington rolled back the years as he shot a strong five-under par in his first round. The legendary player birdied six holes and only gave away a bogey on the ninth to spoil a consistent performance.
The tournament is being hosted by Woburn club golfer Ian Poulter, and the former Ryder Cup hero showed he knows his way around the course, posting a score of three-under-par to keep him in the hunt for the trophy.
Birdies on the fifth and seventh completed a bogey-free front-nine, but bogeys on 14 and 15 deflated what might have been a table-topping day for the Englishman. Poulter's great friend Luke Donald also had an excellent day at Woburn, scoring a four-under par for his effort and work.
The European Tour highlighted the best part of Poulter's day:
The first day's action was electric, with the packed house adding to the tension at each hole. Championship golf attendances often suffer on Day 1 of events, but Woburn had no such issue.
Fitzpatrick is proving to be a prodigious talent, and he didn't look out of place on the Bedfordshire course with names like Poulter, Donald and Lee Westwood in attendance.
It will be a huge ask for the young golfer to see his way to contention on the final day, but his Thursday round has left him in a great position to attack the leaderboard at the weekend.
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