The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Lee delights in ‘phenomenal’ first round 66 at Newmachar
The road and the miles may take up most of his time in his current job, but Craig Lee showed at the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge he can still hit it with the best.
The former European Tour pro, now 45, shot a five-under 66 at Newmachar to lie third after a breezy first round, trailing English duo Nathan Kimsey and Marco Penge.
Lee is one of the few in the field who can recall playing competitively with tournament host Paul Lawrie, but his ventures in competitive golf are few these days as he pursues his ‘Pros on the Road’ business.
In a custom-built van, Lee travels the country visiting clubs and outposts.
He provides professional services like coaching and club repairs to those who don’t have their own.
Clients are widespread, from Falkland in Fife to clubs on Skye and Cumbrae and in Arisaig.
His fuel bill would make most wince. But it’s fulfilling work and very different to the days when he was almost winning the European Masters on the main tour.
“My priorities are different now,” he said.
“I really need to get this business up and running and make it a little more self-sustaining before I think about playing again.
“But speak to me Sunday, I might change my mind about that!”
It wasn’t exactly a cruise to 66, however. Lee started with four successive birdies, then threw them all back by the turn.
On the back nine he regathered himself and finished with four birdies in his last five holes.
“I didn’t see that start coming,” he said.
“My longest putt was about eight feet in the first few holes.
“I’d had a good range session in the morning but the few times I’ve played competitively recently it’s just been a struggle.
“But I went from thinking about shooting 10-under to thinking level par would be all right. In the circumstances five-under after 18 was a phenomenal score.”
Lee had his first lesson from coach Steven Rosie for two years coming into the week, and admitted he’d got back into tournament golf mode for the first time in a while.
“I walked the course on Tuesday and made notes,” he said. “Whereas recently I’ve just walked up, smashed it off the first tee and gone after it.
“I know the course quite well, which helps. If it was a bombers’ course I probably wouldn’t have accepted the invitation. But here it’s right and I can thread a driver up near these boys’ four-irons.”
Lee’s intention is to keep playing the odd event to keep himself sharp for seniors golf in a few years.
“I don’t think I’m ever going back out to the Challenge Tour full-time, so this is a one-off,” he said.
“It’s always nice just to keep reminding yourself that it’s potentially still in there. But as much as I’ve played and practised shows how much effort I’ve been putting into the business of late.
“It’s been really good. I’ve taken on another couple of clubs in the last month, Falkland and Traigh in Arisaig, and I’m in discussions with some more.
“A lot of the clubs just don’t have people to do their junior coaching. So it’s been interesting but really good.
“There’s not much economy in a three-and-ahalf-ton van. But it’s not bad because I can stay, the van’s almost habitable and I can go from club to club.”
Kimsey, the former Walker Cup player and Qualifying School winner, didn’t drop a shot in the relatively benign early going on his way to a sevenunder 64.
Penge missed the chance to join him on seven-under with a bogey on 17.
Dunbar’s Daniel Kay needed to be up at 5.30am for the opening tee-time, but he’s used to that with a one-year-old at home, and fought his way to a fourunder 67.
“It was just a case of continuing what I’ve been doing recently,” he said.
“I’m getting into that zone, if you want to call it that, and doing everything well and efficiently. I play better when I’m not thinking about golf and having fun – that frees me up.”
The tournament host’s nephew, Sean Lawrie, was well placed after the first 18 holes with a two-under 69, alongside Cawder’s Calum Fyfe.