Lloyd Saltman leads

LLOYD Saltman stormed into a three-stroke lead in round one of the Hi5 Pro Tour's Valle del Este Open in Murcia, Spain yesterday, writes Nick Rodger.

The Archerfield pro, who is preparing for the European Challenge Tour season opener in Colombia later this month, fired a seven-under 64 to open up a commanding early advantage over Spain's Manuel Quiros and Englishmen Alex Belt and Matt Cryer.

Saltman, 24, reeled off seven birdies in a tidy round as the former Open silver medal winner took charge of the contest. Saltman's older brother, Elliot, opened his challenge with a one-under 70 to share fifth but Zack, the youngest of the Scottish siblings, slumped to a bogey-ridden 87 and finished at the bottom of the standings.