New Zealand golfers Vaughan McCall, Craig Hamilton and Daniel Pearce have made a solid start at the Scottish Open stroke play championship at Kilmarnock overnight.
The trio are in a share of 23rd place after carding rounds of two under par 71 to be six shots back from leader Hayden Porteous of South Africa.
McCall, the first golfer in 24 years to win both the New Zealand stroke play and New Zealand amateur titles, backed up his runner-up finish last week at the Wales amateur stroke play with five birdies and three bogeys.
Former New Zealand representative Daniel Pearce had an eventful first round that included an eagle, four birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey, while Bay of Plenty golfer Hamilton made four birdies and two bogeys to match McCall and Pearce.
Fellow Kiwis Ben Campbell and Blair Riordan, who both played in the New Zealand team which won the Sloan Morpeth Trophy, are off the pace with rounds of 75 and 78, respectively, while Sam Davis shot a one over par 72 to be in a share of 46th place
