England's Lloyd sets the pace with impressive 66 at Glasgow Gailes

CHRIS Lloyd, a schoolboy who partnered European Tour player Chris Wood in the Somerset junior team, put the home contingent in the shade after producing the outstanding performance in the opening round of the Scottish Open Stroke Play Championship at Glasgow Gailes yesterday.

Taking up where another of his countrymen, Tommy Fleetwood, left off when winning last year's event by eight shots at Murcar Links, the 18-year-old posted a five-under-par 66 in Ayrshire to set the pace on a day that was flat calm at the start of play but saw the later starters have to contend with a stiffening breeze.

Peterhead's Philip McLean, a course and distance winner in the Edward Trophy earlier in the year, was relatively pleased with a one-under-par 70, one less than Ross Kellett of Colville Park, the highest world-ranked Scot in the field, but former Scottish Boys' champion Michael Stewart, playing in his first event since returning for the summer from East Tennessee State, had a 75.

Lloyd, who plays his golf at The Kendleshire near Bristol, signed for six birdies – three in a row from the seventh going out and three in four holes from the 13th on the inward journey. His only blemish was a three-putt bogey at the tenth, though he putted well otherwise on greens that are rolling smoothly enough.

Sixth in the Lytham Trophy, Lloyd hasn't been playing well since then, but "found my tempo on the range". He's also in the field for next week's St Andrews Links Trophy, but won't be back in Scotland for the forthcoming Amateur Championship at Muirfield due to exams. The flame-haired player is still in touch with Wood and made the journey up to Wentworth last Sunday hoping to see his fellow West Country man win the BMW PGA Championship only for the overnight leader to suffer a frustrating day as he lost out to Simon Khan.

"Chris was my foursomes partner in the county junior team five years ago and it has been good to watch him develop," said Lloyd. "I still play the odd game with him when he's at home and has been very good in terms of offering advice as he is very easy to talk to."

On a day when only 13 players in the field of 144 beat par as the heather lining the fairways proved troublesome, Lloyd's nearest challenger was another rising star from south west England, Billy Hemstock of Teignmouth in Devon. The 16-year-old posted a 67 to sit in second spot, one shot ahead of France's Romain Wattel and Australian Jordan Zunic, with Australian-based Korean Jin Jeong, the world No12, a further stroke behind.

Wattel, a 19-year-old who lives near Paris, plays at the same club as Gregory Havret and was delighted when his countryman won the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond in 2007. "I was happy for him – even though he beat Phil Mickelson, who is one of my golfing heroes," said Wattel, who had seven birdies in a round that he felt could easily have been a lot better.

"The conditions were perfect at the start – ideal for a good score. I missed some good opportunities and four bogeys is too many," he added.

McLean had three birdies in four holes from the sixth, holing a 40-foot putt from off the green at the seventh, but paid a heavy price for "one bad swing" as a visit to the heather off the tee at the 419-yard 11th cost him a double-bogey 6.

Mark Bookless, the 2008 Scottish Boys' Stroke Play champion, also had a 70, as did Glenbervie's Andrew Wallace and 40-year-old Bryan Innes of Murcar, who stormed home in 31.