Result - Strokeplay Round 1. PGA. 23rd May.
The Strokeplay Championship got underway on the PGA Centenary today, and if ever there was a reminder that this course from the white tees is no place for the faint-hearted, this was it.
On paper it was a glorious spring day, with the sort of warmth in the air that hints a hot summer may not be far away. In practice, however, there was a stiff and awkward breeze blowing just enough to make club selection a minor act of guesswork. Add in the PGA’s length, its unforgiving angles, and tricky pin positions that seemed chosen by someone with a grudge, and the result was a proper championship examination.
This is a course where a decent drive still leaves work to do, where the wrong side of the green can quickly become the wrong side of sanity, and where playing from the whites asks questions all day long. Some answered them better than others.
Campbell claims the gross honours
Top of the gross standings was Colin Campbell, whose excellent 82 was the best raw score of the day and a thoroughly deserved winning effort. On a layout playing every inch of its full championship character, 82 was a score built on patience, control and the good sense not to take on too many arguments with the wind. Congratulations to Colin on setting the early gross pace in style.
Just behind him came Michael Page with a fine 84, another excellent score in the conditions, while Rob Crockart and Tony Moran shared third place on 86. Both rounds deserve mention: Crockart for backing up his net win with a very tidy gross effort, and Moran because any time he appears near the top of a scratch leaderboard, it feels entirely in keeping with the natural order of things.
Also prominent were Ken Marshall and David Logie, tied on 87, with Aidan O’Carroll next on 90.
Crockart takes the net prize
If the gross title belonged to Campbell, the net honours went to Rob Crockart, whose 72 earned him first place and the congratulations of the field. In a round where simply keeping momentum going was an achievement, Crockart managed to produce the best adjusted score of the day and put down a strong opening marker in the championship.
He was chased hard by a trio on 73: Paul Wadsworth, Billy Z McNeill, and Patrick Elsmie. All three will feel they left the course very much in the conversation, especially Billy Z, whose ability to appear near the top of a net leaderboard remains one of the game’s more dependable constants.
Then came a group at 74 including Michael Page, Mike Collier, and Aidan O’Carroll, all of whom stayed within touching distance and will fancy their chances as the championship moves on.
A difficult day in every sense
The scoreboards tell their own story. There were good rounds, certainly, but there were not many easy ones. Even accomplished players found the PGA a difficult companion. A number of cards ended in DNFs.
And then, of course, there was your golf correspondent.
In an alarming repeat of previous seasonal confusion, he once again appeared to believe it was still winter and successfully constructed three snowmen on the card. The finest — if that is the word — came on the 6th hole. From a greenside bunker, the ball was dispatched over the green and into the trees. There followed a chip sideways from behind the tree, then a chip onto the green which promptly rolled back into exactly the same bunker from which the trouble had begun. It was eventually extracted in one, mercifully without any Hamlet moment, only for the episode to conclude with a three-putt. Some holes are to be played; others are to be endured. This was clearly the latter.
Other notable mentions
A few other performances deserve their moment:
Michael Page had an excellent day overall, finishing 2nd gross with 84 and tied 5th net with 74. That is quality golf by any measure.
Tony Moran, tied 3rd gross with 86, once again showed how low-handicap golf on a hard course is often more admirable than it first appears on a net sheet.
Ken Marshall continued his strong recent run, finishing tied 5th gross with 87 and 10th net with 77.
David Logie, off +0.2, was also tied 5th gross with 87, which on this course in this wind is not to be sniffed at.
Billy Z McNeill managed the neat trick of being 11th gross while also tied 2nd net, which will do nothing whatsoever to quieten the usual clubhouse murmurs.
Final word
So, an excellent and demanding opening round to the 2026 Strokeplay Championship. Colin Campbell takes the gross prize with a fine 82, while Rob Crockart lifts the net honours with 72. Both are worthy winners on a day when the PGA asked stern questions from start to finish.
The championship is now underway in earnest. Some players have given themselves a platform, others have ground to make up, and a few will already be hoping the next round is played in lighter winds and with friendlier flag positions.
As for your correspondent, he will simply be hoping the seasons sort themselves out soon.
Taz
