Golf: Warney turns heads as caddie at Senior Open

Former Australian test cricketer Shane Warne (left) is pictured caddying for Peter O'Malley of Australia during the first round of The Senior Open Championship. Photo / Getty Images.

The Senior Open attracts large galleries who pay to see the sporting legends who are still in action. However, they do not expect to witness an all-time great carrying someone else's bag.

Shane Warne turned plenty of heads in the first round here at the Old Course as he caddied for Peter O'Malley.

In England as a television analyst for the Ashes, the former leg-spinner took advantage of the week off to work for his friend and fellow Australian.

However, this was not just a favour, as Warne's ambition is to play on the Senior Tour when he turns 50 in five years' time, and this was his chance to gauge the level.

Warne has much improvement to make, although he did shoot a one-under-par 71 during the 2013 Dunhill Links.

"I can dream - but yeah, I'd love to get on the Senior Tour," Warne said. "If all the TV work dries up and I get a few good years to practise then who knows... To be honest, I didn't do too much out there, apart from carry the bag. And I realise they get really heavy at the end - it's a tough walk around Sunningdale. But it was fun and I'm thankful for the opportunity"

O'Malley reported that Warne did "quite a good job" and, after a two-under 68, he is in touch with the eight-strong group of leaders on five under.

These include defending champion Bernhard Langer, as well as other Ryder Cup players Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Lee Janzen. Two shots further back are Colin Montgomerie with Tom Watson.

The bad news for his rivals is that Langer, the only member of the senior ranks to make the cut at last week's Open, declared that he did not play up to his usual metronomic standard.

Level par through seven holes, the German went through the gears with five birdies through the last 11 holes.

"It was a solid round but I didn't play my best today," Langer, 58, said. "I just held it together. I hit a number of loose shots but putted pretty well and avoided the big mistakes."