Birdie blitz blasts David Law into British Masters lead

Scotland’s David Law showed no signs of lockdown rust, carding a seven-under 64 to take a one-shot lead into the second round of the British Masters at Close House.

The Aberdonian picked up seven shots in the space of eight holes from the sixth to head the field in the first full European Tour event since the Qatar Masters in March.

Law, 29, is being chased down by England’s Oliver Fisher and Garrick Porteous and Italy’s Renato Paratore, who share second on six-under, with a group of four more players a further shot adrift on five-under.

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In his second full season on the European Tour, Law had missed four cuts in a row before the tour retreated into its COVID-19 hiatus, so he was delighted to see his first competitive start on the circuit in four months get off to such a strong start.

“I was playing steady,” said Law. “You might not be sure what to expect coming in today after the long break. I was delighted with that. It’s still a little strange, but the tour have done a fantastic job. So far I think it’s gone really well. The club has hosted us really well. It’s a new time for us, we’re all learning and we’ll all have to get used to it. The whole week so far has been very positive.”

Law added that he felt refreshed returning to the tour after the unplanned break.

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“We’ve been lucky at home and not had anyone affected by the illness, thankfully,” he said. “My daughter is 19-months-old, so to have that extended time at home, I’ll never get that again. We had a great time. It was a nice time for me because I wasn’t playing the best going into that break. It was a good time to recharge and regroup.”

Law’s fellow Scot Calum Hill is in a cluster of players on four-under after opening with a 67.