Ryan Lumsden emerged as the frontrunner with a sparkling six-under-par 65 at the blustery Royal Óbidos, taking an early lead in the Open de Portugal’s first round.
This Scottish golfer found his rhythm amidst gusts that would have sent lesser swings into disarray.
Kicking off at the tenth, Lumsden hit the ground running, bagging birdies on three of his first four holes and notched another at 17 to close the outward half at four-under.
He continued his birdie spree on the return stretch, albeit tempered by a single bogey, to stay one stroke ahead of his nearest competitors.
Reflecting on his day, Lumsden said, “I played great today, played really well. I took care of business off the tee which I think is important round this place.”
His game was solid, combining length and accuracy to dominate the field. He added, “It’s quite soft, quite long and it was very windy today so finding fairways with as much length as you can is key.”
The start was crucial for Lumsden, who felt in control from the outset. “I think when you get off to a hot start it feels like you’re in control and can push a little bit.
I just managed to stay really aggressive the whole way through, which I was really pleased with,” he explained.
Accompanied by his short-game coach, Lumsden’s putting improvement was notable. “I putted better than I have done in the last few weeks, which is really nice,” he observed, highlighting the fruits of their focused practice sessions.
“I brought my short-game coach out with me, and we spent Tuesday and Wednesday dialling things in, which definitely paid off because I felt much more comfy out there and the hole looked a lot bigger than it has done in the last few weeks.”
The winds were a significant challenge, but Lumsden adapted well. “It wasn’t easy out there,” he admitted. “It was ok when you had the wind straight into or straight down, but those crosswind holes were tough.
It felt like the wind was getting up to 25-30 miles per hour at times. When it blows that hard around here, you’ve got to be in control of your ball, so I was glad I was able to do that today.”
Drawing on his links golf experience, Lumsden saw an advantage in the conditions that flummoxed many. “I think this is where the British players are going to have a little bit of an advantage.
Being able to flight it off the tee and knowing how to hit a five iron from 160 yards at times, those types of things were important,” he concluded.
As the leaderboard tightens with several players just behind, including a mix of nationalities all vying for position, Lumsden’s start sets a promising tone for the rest of his tournament campaign.
