Rangers 1 (Jamieson) Celtic 0 (McGinley)
Eddie Jordan and Dermot Desmond look on as Paul McGinley pulls on a Celtic jersey.Rangers fan Scott Jamieson must have wondered if someone was playing a bad joke on him when he saw the draw for the Avantha Masters in New Delhi.
Hot on the heels of the ‘Gers recent move into adminstration, the Scot found himself grouped with rabid Celtic fan Paul McGinley for the first two rounds.
Whether or not McGinley rubbed salt into Jamieson’s wounds over the woes at Ibrox is unknown at this time but it was Jamieson who walked away with the bragging rights after outscoring his Vivendi Seve Trophy skipper by a shot.
Scott Jamieson warming up for his wedding in traditional Scottish regalia (plus a beer)As McGinley opened his account with a fine, two-under par 70 at DLF Golf and Country Club, Jamieson fired a three under par 69 to finish the day just three strokes behind the joint leaders, compatriot Peter Whiteford and Spain’s Alejandro Cañizares.
No doubt McGinley would be keen to have a promising young player like Jamieson in his side if he manages to land the 2014 Ryder Cup captaincy at Gleneagles.
The 28-year old Glaswegian, who is described in his European Tour biography as “an avid supporter of Rangers FC”, had an excellent rookie campaign last season after graduating from the Challenge Tour.
He made the winning GB&I Seve Trophy team under McGinley and finished a creditable 59th in the Race to Dubai rankings thanks mainly to third place finishes in the Spanish Open, the BMW International and the Scottish Open.
The former Augusta State University player was 12th in Qatar and fifth in Dubai last week, where McGinley was an enforced absentee after his doctor ordered him to dosify himself following more treatment on his left knee over the winter.
The 45-year old Dubliner will have loved the tactical challenge of DLF G&CC, where narrow, tree-lined fairways require precise course management.
It was no surprise to see John Daly lurch to a 79 and then complain of an elbow problem that he says will require X-rays in the US as soon as possible.
The Wild Thing racked up five bogeys and a triple bogey eight in his seven over par effort as short-hitter McGinley plotted his way to a 70 featuring three birdies, three bogeys and a sweet eagle three at the par-five ninth.
That was good enough to finisht the day tied for 19th place and leave him just four shots adrift of Cañizares and Whiteford, who lead by one from Italy’s Federico Columbo.
Ballyclare’s Gareth Maybin hit just six fairways but still managed to make four birdies in a level par 72 and a share of 47th place.
John Daly tweeted his picture of his bandaged arm on Thursday evening.As for Daly, it’s unlikely that the American will make it to the first tee on Friday.
He tweeted: “No bones are broken, possible torn ligaments according to European Tour Docs—getting home for for X-rays! Back 9 painful to play—hit a root coming down on #9 & snapped my elbow! #jarredbad #hunginthere.”
Former Cricketer Ian Botham seemed concerned and Daly replied: “Came down on my 2nd shot and there was a root buried—elbow snapped—so ticked about this! xray tomorrow w/my doc.”