Journeymen lead after first round

Mikael Lundberg of Sweden on the 9th hole during the first round of the Madeira Open. Allsport.

Nicolas Marin of France and Elliott Bould of New Zealand headed a pack of unheralded players at the top of the leaderboard early in the Madeira Island Open on Thursday.

Marin, who only turned professional in September, and Bould led by a stroke after four-under-par 68s.

In third place on the Santo da Serra course were three more relative novices on the European circuit. Joao Umbelino, a 19-year-old Portuguese amateur who is still at college, Mikael Lundberg of Sweden and Markus Brier of Austria. They all shot 69s.

That was a stroke better than Ireland's Paul McGinley, who took a late place in Madeira in a bid to clinch a place in the Britain and Ireland team for the Ballesteros Trophy at Sunningdale next month.

But while the newcomers prospered it was a bad day for two former European number ones.

Five times major champion Severiano Ballesteros, trying to find some form ahead of Sunningdale, carded a poor 76.

One stroke behind him was Briton Ronan Rafferty, making a comeback from an 18-month injury lay-off.

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