Thorbjorn Olesen sets early clubhouse target at British Masters
Olesen carded six birdies and no bogeys in a superb 66 at The Belfry.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former Ryder Cup winner Thorbjorn Olesen set the early clubhouse target on day one of the Betfred British Masters on Thursday.
Olesen carded six birdies and no bogeys in a superb 66 at The Belfry to enjoy a one-shot lead over Germany’s Hurly Long and China’s Ashun Wu, with fellow Dane Rasmus Hojgaard a shot further back on four under.
The 32-year-old, who beat three-time major winner Jordan Spieth in their singles match at the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris, is attempting to rebuild his career after he was cleared in December last year of sexually assaulting a woman on a British Airways flight in July 2019.
Olesen claimed he turned into an “automaton” and was not in control of his body after drinking and taking prescription-only sleeping pills before a flight from Nashville to London, following a tournament in Memphis.
“There’s a lot of things I want to accomplish,” said Olesen, who was ranked 62nd in the world at the time of the incident but is currently 376th.
“You have to stay in the present, obviously, but it’s been a while since I’ve been in the winner’s circle and that’s my main goal this year.
“I’ve not been working hard enough for a few years to be at that level, so I know there is a lot of work to be done.
“There have been certain points where you are not sure if you can get back, so it comes down to confidence and belief and there have been a few hard days.
“But I feel I am on the right track now and starting to get a team back together that is helping me again – I think that is very important.
“This year I’ve had some good rounds where the last three or four holes I made some stupid bogeys and put myself out of contention.
“I feel as if I’ve had chances to be in contention but just haven’t finished it off, really. I need to be up there a bit more to feel comfortable. It’s been a long time since I’ve really been able to be up there.”
Lee Westwood, who is both a former winner and host of the event, had to settle for an opening 72 after dropping shots on his last two holes.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments