Welshman Stephen Dodd is desperate to maintain his run of a victory in every season he has been on the Staysure Tour, in the Austrian Senior Open, at Murhof GC. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

STEPHEN Dodd has been the first to admit his 2019 Staysure Tour campaign had not gone to plan.

Yet despite a balky driver, he carded an opening-round of 64 to take a one-shot lead at the Murhof Legends – Austrian Senior Open on eight-under par.

The Welshman – who was crowned The Amateur Champion at Royal Birkdale 30 years ago – showed remarkable resilience during the Staysure Tour’s first official day of competition in Austria – the 45^th different country to host Europe’s over-50s circuit.

Following a bogey at the eighth hole, Dodd carded back-to-back birdies on the ninth and 10th, and then repeated the bounce-back effort by erasing his double-bogey at the 15^th with consecutive gains on the next two holes.

“The score was good,” the 53-year-old said, “I didn’t particularly drive it very well, so I’ve got a bit to work on perhaps, but I am delighted with the score.”

Dodd has collected one win on the Staysure Tour in each of the three years he has been eligible to play.

But so far he has not yet matched that high standard in 2019, and finds himself in 30^th on the Order of Merit.

Still, the man who collected his first professional title at the 1992 Bank Austria Open knows the book is not closed this season just yet.

“To put it politely, it’s been a quite one,” he said. “The season is not finished yet though, we’ve still got a few more events, so we’ll see where we are come December.

“There are plenty of birdie chances if you drive it well around here. The greens are good and the weather was perfect today so it all sets up for a good week.

“So far, we’ve had a fantastic week. Gary Stangl and the team and everybody at Murhof have looked after us fantastically well.”

The highlight of the day came when Frenchman Thomas Levet holed his 235-yard second shot into the par five seventh for an albatross.

“Making an albatross helps a lot,” the former Ryder Cup winner said. “I had my first albatross 39 years ago when I was 12-years-old and a 24-handicap. I holed a five-wood then, but there were no spectators.

“Today, the spectators behind the green were so shocked nobody reacted, so I thought, from where I was, that the ball had run through the green because I could see the pitch mark but not the ball.

“When I arrived at the green, I fixed my pitch mark and started walking to the back of the green when a guy shouted ‘It’s in the hole!’”

Levet hit every green in regulation on day one, and along with his three-under par hole, signed for a six-under 66, which put him in a share of fourth place alongside Jarmo Sandelin, José Coceres and Rafael Gomez.

A pair of Englishmen – double Senior Major Champion Roger Chapman and Staysure Tour Rookie Gary Evans – sit only one stroke behind Dodd on seven-under, while home-hero Markus Brier carded a 71, which left him in a share of 29^th.

The second round of the Murhof Legends – Austrian Senior Open begins on Saturday at 8am, with the lead group of Dodd, Chapman and Evans set to go at 11.18am.

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Markus Brier is bidding to become the first Austrian to win a European, Challenge and Seniors Tour event when he hosts the Murhof Legends – Austrian Senior Open this week. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

MARKUS Brier is the tournament host for this week’s Murhof Legends – Austrian Senior Open, but he will have his sights set on completing a rare triple when he tees it up at Golfclub Murhof, starting on Friday.

In 2002, seven years after joining the paid ranks, the Austrian collected his first professional win on this very course, when he triumphed in the European Challenge Tour’s Austrian Golf Open.

“It still gives me goosebumps,” said Brier as he overlooked the 18th green.

“After being a professional for seven years, it was my first professional win,” he added. “I hadn’t won a pro-am or anything, and it was right here where I had a 15-footer to win it.

“You’re out here to win. Obviously to get my European Tour card was very special but you want to win a tournament and it was very special.”

After winning another Challenge Tour event in Austria in 2004, Brier became his country’s first European Tour winner when he triumphed, at home, in the 2006 BA-CA Golf Open presented by Telekom Austria.

“It was just the week everything went right,” he said. “I had so many lucky shots, and everything went well.

“Every day I had something special. I made a hole-in-one on the first day, made an eagle somewhere on the second day, then on the third day I spun it back 20 feet for eagle.

“I started to think with all these good things happening to me, I need to take my chance, and it came out well in the end.

“Being the first Austrian to win on the European Tour is something you can’t take away.

“There are so many special memories from that week, the whole family was there and it was probably the biggest crowd we’ve had in Austria.”

With the Staysure Tour now arriving in Austria for the first time, the 51-year-old, who has been playing on the circuit for just over one year, is after his first win in senior golf, again, on home-soil.

“It would be very special to win on all tours in your home country,” he said.

“I feel comfortable here. I’ve been coming here for over 30 years and it just makes me feel peaceful and hopefully I can do the same as I did in 2002 and 2006.

“The standard out here is very good. You see guys like Phillip Price and Barry Lane, they’ve won all over the world. You really have to play very, very well and have a bit of luck to win,” Brier added.

“I’ve had a few top 10s already and I’ve also come second and third. I just need a little home advantage this week.

“It’s great to have a Staysure Tour event here. I have so many good memories here, so it’s just perfect.

“It’s a great partnership with the Murhof Gruppe. I’ve been based here for five years now and Gary Stangl and his team have made it possible for us to come here.”

Brier will have inspiration for his home hat-trick when he tees off at 10:45am alongside the two most recent Staysure Tour winners, Paul Lawrie and Lancastrian David Shacklady.

Shacklady, who has won the last two consecutive events, is after a triple of his own, and will look to become the first player since Boonchu Ruangkit in 2010 to win three-straight Staysure Tour titles.

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