Trio tied for Open lead

Ireland's Mark McNulty, Aussie Mike Harwood and American Mark Calcavecchia share the lead after day one of the Senior Open Championship at Walton Heath.

A five at the 18th hole was the only blot on Zimbabwean-born McNulty's scorecard while Harwood bogeyed the 16th and 17th as the pair posted 68s to take the early clubhouse lead.

They were later joined by former Open champion Calcavecchia, who defied the poor afternoon weather to join them at the top of the pile on four-under.
First round leaderboard
(GB & Ire unless stated)
-4 M McNulty
-4 M Harwood (Aus)
-4 M Calcavecchia (Aus)
-3 A MacKenzie
-3 D Frost (SA)

"The weather moved in when we were on No. 11. It wasn't horrible but it made it tougher for sure," said Calcavecchia, who is bidding to become the fourth player to win both the Open (Troon 1989) and the senior version.

"Not making any bogeys was nice, so it was a good score, a good start."

McNulty, who lost a three-man playoff to Loren Roberts in this tournament at Sunningdale in 2009, said his late bogey took the gloss off his round.

"I made a mental error," said McNulty, who drove into the thick heather on the left side of the fairway. "I'm annoyed with myself but I would've taken 68 on the first tee."

Harwood, meanwhile, felt at home on a course where he won the European Open in 1991, the same year he finished runner-up to compatriot Ian Baker-Finch in the Open at Royal Birkdale.
Good vibes

"I got some good vibes from this place. I have been thinking about coming back here for a while and I felt comfortable," he said.

The leading trio sit one shot clear of Scotland's Albert MacKenzie and South African David Frost, who carded rounds of 69, one better than a group of seven which included another Scot, Gordon Brand Jr, and Germany's Bernhard Langer.

Langer's fellow former Masters champion Ian Woosnam went round in 71 to stay in contention, on the same mark as American one-time Open champion Tom Lehman.

American great Tom Watson, after impressing at the Open Championship last week, had a disappointing day and finished on three-over 75.

"I wasted a lot of strokes on the greens today. I made two putts, that's about it," said Watson.

It was worse for Scotland's Sam Torrance and Sandy Lyle though, as they recorded 80 and 81
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