Ramsay shines at Carnoustie - for his girlfriend

Richie Ramsay nipped out to buy his bird a birthday card before burning up Carnoustie with a sizzling round that could see him deliver the card she really wants.

The one that keeps her man on the European Tour.

Girlfriend Angela Hudinski has asked Ramsay to give her a top-five finish in the forthcoming Madrid Masters to celebrate her birthday next week.

However, the Aberdonian could be handing over her present early after a magnificent effort yesterday.

Carnoustie is one of the most feared courses in the world yet Ramsay took advantage of the unseasonably benign conditions to tear round the Angus links in 67 - and storm into the hunt on five under.

Not even the big names around him suchasRoryMcIlroy,PadraigHarrington and,er,Hugh Grant could match such a flawless round.

And it's significant the three men above Ramsay on the leaderboard put in their pacesetting scores on the easier Kingsbarns and St Andrews courses. If the weather men are to be trusted - and they've come a long way since Michael Fish - leader Thomas Bjorn will have one hell of a job to stay on top when he rolls up to Carnoustie today to find the old girl in a far less forgiving mood.

The forecast is for rain and 25 miles an hour winds.

That puts Ramsay in a prime position to mount a challenge for the £485,850 winner's cheque . But in all honesty a top-10 finish would probably be all he needs to rocket up the Order of Merit well into the magic top 115 that will secure his card for another year.

He said: "I had to buy my girlfriend a birthday card. She's already asked me for a top-five finish in Madrid for the big day next week but it would be nice if I do it a week early.

"It's a great start but that's all it is. I'm going to try to go out again with the same attitude I had today. I just went out there to put a score together and have fun."

At the start of the week Ramsay put his bid to keep his card in perspective by highlighting the plight of our troops fighting in Afghanistan and his healthy view of the game is paying off with the most enjoyable golf he's played in years.

In fact he hasn't felt this free-wheeling, confident brand of golf since his historic US Amateur victory at Hazeltine in 2006.

He said: "I'm happy with the way I'm playing. In the US Amateur I had the confidence I needed to to go out and put the score together and I felt that again on a few holes out there today.

"If I can carry that into the next three or four days anything is possible."

Ramsay trails leader Bjorn by three shots and stands just one adrift of Gareth Maybin and Ross McGowan locked in second place - but he's not the only Scottish success story sitting pretty after day one.

It literally was day one for rookie Keir McNicoll as he teed off his pro career on the first at St Andrews and showed no sign of stage fright by romping around the Old Course in 68.

A remarkable debut for the 24-year-old who spent the last two Dunhill Links working as a caddie for the wealthy amateurs competing with the pros.

He's gone from earning £40 a round plus tips to potentially coining in around 60 grand if he can preserve his current position tied for 10th place.

Yet even then McNicoll will still find himself back at Tour School later this month slogging away for his card - because he couldn't afford to pay the £2000 bond that would have given him entry to this year's order of merit.

Carnoustie man McNicoll said: "The money I win here won't count because I didn't have the two grand to pay up front!

"So I will have to go back to Tour School unless I win because that would give me an automatic exemption.

"I was aware of what was going on having caddied at the event so I knew it was going to be about six hours before we finished and was prepared for that."

Record columnist Alastair Forsyth finished two under at St Andrews.

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