Russell ready for taste of big time at the Masters

The East Lothian-based 27-year-old, the son of double European Tour winner DJ Russell, had been set to open his campaign on the domestic circuit in the SkyCaddie 36-holer at Monifieth yesterday but instead will find himself in the frenzied midst of the Tiger Woods comeback during the first Major of the season.

"It was simply too good an opportunity to turn down," said Russell, whose father runs a golf course design company with Woosnam and was part of the Welshman's backroom team during the 2006 Ryder Cup. "My dad and Ian are great friends and Ian had asked me if I would like to go out to the Masters as a spectator. A few moments later he suggested I should come out as his caddie. I've caddied a lot for my dad on the Seniors Tour but never for Ian, although I've played golf with him plenty of times. It's going to be very exciting."

Woosnam's Masters triumph in 1991 marked the final salvo in a four-year British assault on Augusta following Sandy Lyle's win in 1988 and the back-to-back successes of Nick Faldo in 1989 and 1990. Russell added: "Ian knows what he's doing round Augusta and on the whole I'll just leave him to it. "He made the cut in 2008 and it would be nice to do that again. You never know, he might do a Tom Watson."

Sweden's Richard Karlberg fired an opening seven-under-par 65 to take a one-shot lead over Thailand's Chinnarat Phadungsil and India's SSP Chowrasia after the first day of the SAIL Open. Ross Bain finished with a level-par 72, while fellow Scot Simon Dunn was five shots further back.