Neil tames wind to set pace in the Northern Open at Royal Dornoch

Bradley Neil rediscovered some of the form that made him one of Scottish golf’s brightest prospects as he set the pace in round one of the Tartan Tour’s Northern Open at Royal Dornoch.

On a wind-ravaged day over the revered Sutherland links, the 29-year-old harnessed the exacting conditions to fine effect and emerged with a neatly assembled three-under 67 to lead by a stroke from his fellow Scot, John Henry, England’s James Freeman and the Irish veteran Simon Thornton.

Neil underlined his huge potential as a teenager back in 2014 when he won the Amateur Championship before turning professional and earning a spot on the DP World Tour for the 2018 campaign.

His stay at the top table was brief, however, and Neil spiralled down the order. As the stresses and strains of touring life began to take a toll, Neil opted for a fresh start with The PGA last year as he looked to rebuild his golfing career.

“For too long, there was so much stress and anxiety involved in playing golf and I needed to get back to playing with enjoyment,” said the Blairgowrie man, who is attached to the Turnhouse club in Edinburgh.

“I have a bit of stability in life now. When I’m not playing golf, I’m working in the pro shop, not stewing at home or on the range trying to figure something out in my game. This round has to be up there with one of my best and it’s given me a big lift.”

Amid the boisterous buffeting, Neil put in a performance of poise and purpose as he eased to the front in the latest event on The PGA’s Open Series.

He dropped just one shot and conjured a fine act of salvage for his par on the 18th after his approach ended up in an awkward spot off the closing green.

“If I’d dropped one there, I would’ve been very annoyed so that par was important,” added Neil, who took advantage of the wind at his back on the front-nine and birdied three of his opening five holes.

“You had to take advantage going out and then hang on coming home. I didn’t have a bogey on that back-nine which was very pleasing.”

Thornton, a past champion on the DP World Tour, underlined his links golf prowess with a nicely crafted two-under 68 to lurk a shot behind Neil with one round to play.

“My game is hitting it under the wind so the back nine suited me down to a tee,” said Thornton, who hit a cracker of a 3-wood into the 11th and holed the birdie putt from 20-feet.

“The first time I’d played Dornoch was in practice the other day. I’d heard about it for years and it was love at first sight.”

From his base in County Down, Thornton has made quite the trek to be here this week. “But it’s been worth it,” he added. “We drove for an hour to the ferry, then a couple of hours on the ferry and five-and-a-half hours up here.

“It’ll be the same again going back and as soon as I get there, there’s an Irish PGA event at Bellmullet which is a five-hour drive away. It’s all for the love of the game.”

Freeman, who last played Dornoch almost 20 years ago in the Scottish Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship, reacquainted himself with a solid 68 while Henry’s two-under effort was illuminated by a birdie putt of nearly 30-feet on the fifth.

+Josh Crumplin, the leader of the Open Series order of merit, opened his assault with an eagle-two at the first on his way to a 69 while former Northern Open champions, Craig Lee and Alastair Forsyth, posted a 70 and a 71 respectively.