Golf: Up and down Broadhurst welcomes overdue upturn

Paul Broadhurst boosted his Ryder Cup hopes by taking the lead in the first round of the Deutsche Bank Open in Hamburg yesterday with a four under par 68.

The 31-year-old is anxious to make the team at Valderrama in September and the pounds 125,000 first prize would virtually assure him of automatic selection.

"While I have been struggling, a lot of other guys have been making money and to get into the team I have to start playing well again," he said. "It's very important for me to make the side and if I do not get in this year I shall feel as if I have blown it."

Broadhurst is currently 10th in the Cup table and of the six men above him who are competing at Hamburg, only Miguel Angel Martin, with a 69 to lie joint second with Barry Lane, and Alberto Binaghi, improved their prospects.

Broadhurst admitted his form was a big improvement on his recent displays. "I finished second in Cannes last month but I wasn't even driving well there and that's been my biggest problem," he said.

"Since then I've played four tournaments, missed the cut in two of them and didn't play well in the other two. But today I made a few good up- and-downs early on and with my short game being in good shape I began to play solidly."

Broadhurst had only 27 putts and, starting at the 10th, had birdies at the 13th, 15th, second, third and fourth with only one bogey, at the 18th where he three-putted.

DEUTSCHE BANK OPEN (Hamburg) Leading first-round scores (GB or Irl unless stated): 68 P Broadhurst. 69 A Binaghi (It); B Lane; M-A Martin (Spain). 70 S Hurley; R Wessels (SA); E Canonica (It); R McFarlane; R Chapman; D Robertson; R Goosen (SA); M Gronberg (Swe); D Carter; T Johnstone (Zim); J Robson. 71 N Fasth (Swe); S Bottomley; S Webster; P Curry; B Hughes (Aus); P Mitchell; B Langer (Ger); C Suneson (Spain); I Garrido (Sp); M Hallberg (Swe); V Phillips. 72 M Besanceney (Fr); M Olander (Swe); P McGinley; M Mouland; R Russell; S Grappasonni (It); R Drummond; G Clark; M Mackenzie; T Bjorn (Den); J Sandelin (Swe); S Luna (Sp); M Jonzon (Swe); D Cole (Aus); P Hedblom (Swe); R Boxall; R Davis (Aus); G Brand jnr; B Tinning (Den). 73 J Wade (Aus); M McLean; A Hunter; R Claydon; K Vainola (Fin); S Henderson; G J Brand; A Cabrera (Arg); J Spence; A Forsbrand (Swe); H Clark; D Howell; M Davis; R Burns; D Smyth; D Gilford; K Tomori (Japan); P Linhart (Sp); G Emerson; P Affleck; A Cejka (Ger); R Rafferty. 74 M Lanner (Swe); J Bickerton; D Hospital (Sp); F Andersson (Swe); E Simsek (Ger); P Quirici (Swit); M-A Jimenez (Sp); D Clarke; R Lee; I Garbutt; G Orr; P Eales; B May (US); K Eriksson (Swe); J Hawkes (SA); A Bossert (Swit).

n Ian Woosnam marred an otherwise solid round with a three-putt bogey on the final hole to return a one-under-par 71 in the Hyundai Motor Masters in Seoul yesterday. That leaves him three shots behind three South Koreans. Sandy Lyle is three shots further back on 74.