Hill makes fantastic start at Hero Open

Crook of Devon golfer cards nine-under par

Crook of Devon’s Calum Hill produced a stunning opening round at the European Tour’s Hero Open yesterday.

The former Perth and Kinross County golfer finished day one at the Fairmont St Andrews on nine-under par.

Being played over the Torrance Course, Hill’s bogey-free opener has him positioned perfectly for a real crack at the title.

The 26-year-old has already enjoyed a productive season on the top tour and, before play started, was 37th in the Race to Dubai standings.

Also teeing-up on home soil was Perth’s Daniel Young and he pieced together a three-over par 75 in round one.

The Torrance Course is a venue the Craigie Hill member knows well and he was delighted to be back playing in front of Scottish crowds.

Walking the fairways with fans of the sport applauding and following progress has been greatly welcomed in recent weeks.

The COVID-19 pandemic had meant that many events across the past year had been played without any support from audiences.

“Last week at Galgorm in Northern Ireland there was a decent amount of spectators,” Young told the PA.

“Previous to that, right before COVID hit, I played two or three main tour events in Australia and South Africa with crowds.

“There is definitely a better buzz when people are about. It’s nice hitting a shot and getting a little bit of applause.

“Without the crowd, you hit a good shot and it’s then just head down and off you go. Everyone has enjoyed having more of an atmosphere.

Calum Hill, from Crook of Devon, was all smiles after carding an opening round of nine-under par

“There is a strong contingent of Scots playing this week and the Scottish fans are always there to support their own.

“I’m sure there will be plenty of people supporting us all. Any time you have an event in Scotland, it’s always nice to be at home.

“I managed to get a few tickets and my dad will be coming through on Friday. All being well, I’ll be in action on Saturday and Sunday too.”

As always, Young entered the competition with the initial aim of advancing deep into the weekend.

He will need to get off to a strong start on Friday after his opening 75.

The former Perth Academy student’s game had been feeling in a good place ahead of arriving at the Fairmont.

“I don’t really have too many expectations,” he said. “I know results-wise I’ve been struggling a bit the last while.

“But in the past couple weeks the game has been feeling really good. It’s just trying to transfer practice into tournament rounds.

“I’m comfortable on the course so I don’t see why I can’t have a good week.

“I have played quite a lot of golf at the Fairmont, probably more so in the winter months. They keep the back tees out and it’s without hitting off mats.

“You never know what the weather is going to be like up this way. You need to take it day-by-day.”

The event finishes on Sunday.