Torrance outscores Ryder Cup contenders

England's Jonathan Lomas carded a double-eagle two at the par-five 12th on his way to a six-under-par 66 and the clubhouse lead Thursday at the Scottish PGA Championship.

The start of the first round was delayed by 3 1/2 hours due to a heavy fog that enshrouded the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles. Darkness later suspended play with 66 players left on the course with the round set to resume Friday morning.

Playing in the first group off the first tee on Thursday, Lomas posted birdies on the second, fifth and eighth holes to make the turn at three-under par. He matched that effort on just one hole on the back nine, as his second shot with a four-wood on the 503-yard 12th found the cup from 234 yards out.

"It’s the first time I’ve ever had an albatross and although the marshals around the green were signaling something had happened, I couldn’t quite believe it had gone in," said Lomas, who added eight pars on the inward nine to complete a bogey-free round. "I’d have happily taken a birdie."

Lomas, whose double-eagle was the fourth by a player on the 2001 campaign, is chasing his second European Tour victory. He claimed his first at the 1996 Chemapol Trophy Czech Open.

Mark Mouland of Wales joined Lomas atop the leaderboard with six birdies through a flawless 13 holes before play was called. He made birdies on the fourth and seventh holes then reeled off four straight from the ninth.

Warren Bennett, the winner of the 1999 Scottish PGA, matched 67s with fellow Englishman Justin Rose and Scotland's Stephen Gallacher to get to five-under.

Rose, partnered with Lomas and Bennett on Thursday, rebounded from a double- bogey at the par-three fourth with an eagle at the 12th. Bennett recorded an eagle at the 564-yard ninth, while Gallacher's round included an eagle at the 516-yard second hole.

European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance shot 68 and was part of a group two off the lead at minus-four. He began on the back nine with bogeys at the 10th and 11th but turned things around with an eagle and three birdies over the next seven holes.

Volvo PGA champion Andrew Oldcorn, 14th in Ryder Cup points, finished four off the current pace with a two-under 70. Andrew Coltart, 15th in the standings, opened with a one-under 71.

The top 10 players in European Ryder Cup points after next week's BMW International Open automatically qualify for the team. Torrance will then make his two captain's picks to round out the 12-man squad.

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