Late birdie blitz puts Lloyd Saltman in contention

LLOYD Saltman birdied three of the final four holes to lie just a shot off leader Englishman Chris Gane after the first round of the Madeira Islands Open.

Gane, 36, from Bromley in Kent, recorded a round of 67 to go a shot clear of early clubhouse leaders Francois Delamontagne and Saltman, with the Scot delighted with his finishing flourish.

Saltman, 25, had looked set for an unspectacular start to the tournament before his late surge allowed him to join Delamontagne in the lead early in the afternoon.

He said: "It was helpful playing in that type of wind in the Pro-Am yesterday, and also last week in Majorca the conditions were quite similar. Despite shooting five over in the end I actually played pretty well on the final day, which gave me a bit of confidence to take here.

"I got off to a nice solid start with a birdie at the third, then I dropped a shot at the seventh to drop back to level par. But I knew there were a few chances on the back nine, and I managed to come back in four under even with a bogey on the 14th, where I hit it off the cliffs but made birdie with my second ball. So I was pretty pleased with that, because it was a tough day but I stayed patient and got my rewards in the end."

Gane, who has yet to win on the European Tour, reached five under par on a course designed by the late Seve Ballesteros at the Porto Santo Golfe club, thanks to his four birdies in five holes on the back nine. A steady start saw him pick up two birdies before a bogey on the par-5 tenth preceded a great close to his opening round, with birdies coming on the 12th, 14th, 15th and 16th holes.

Frenchman Delamontagne and Saltman had earlier carded four-under-par rounds of 68, with the former's round including two eye-catching eagles in tricky conditions.

The Paris-based 32-year-old is another still to win on the Tour, but he was in early contention despite suffering a poor front nine as bogeys on the fourth, fifth and eighth holes overshadowed two birdies. His form improved drastically on the back nine and his eagles at the tenth and 14th were picked up with only one dropped shot between them, before he added a pair of birdies.

The Italian duo of Federico Colombo and Emanuele Canonica both sat three shots off the lead and tied for fourth, alongside the best-placed Portuguese contender Jose-Filipe Lima.