Sullivan takes first day honours

Britain's Kyron Sullivan produced a spectacular finish with five strokes in his last four holes to card a five-under-par 66 and take a one-shot lead in a windy Aa St-Omer Open first round on Thursday.

The 27-year-old European Challenge Tour rookie began as a rank outsider for the event, which is now for main tour and Challenge Tour players and offers an 18-month exemption for the main tour.

His three closing birdies, followed by a chip-in eagle, took him a stroke better than fellow-Briton Benn Barham and two shots ahead of Frenchman Jean-Francois Lucquin.

Sullivan, 43rd on the Challenge Tour rankings and playing in only his second full European Tour event, put his lead down to changing his attitude by not chasing prize money.

He said his mastery of the wind was down to practising at his home course in Wales.

"I'm in my first year on the Challenge Tour after playing the Europro tour for two years and everyone flashes pound signs at you so that you're thinking of cars, houses and boats instead of golf," said Sullivan.

"I'd had a good start to my year by finishing fourth and fifth in South America and then I got fazed by money, so recently I've changed my thinking and just started to believe in my golf."

Marc Farry, 44, winner of the 1996 BMW International, a six-time World Cup player for France and veteran of four Dunhill Cups, is in a large group three strokes off the lead.

Philip Walton, the man who claimed Europe's winning point in the 1995 Ryder Cup, shot a 75. The Irishman is trying to regain his tour card on the same day the player he beat at Oak Hill, Jay Haas, challenged strongly for the U.S. Open lead.

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