‘I had to grow up’ – Sean Crocker bounces back from dark period to hit course record at Hero Open

Sean Crocker took advantage of benign conditions to set a new course record in the first round of the Hero Open.

The American is a shot clear of Ashley Chesters, Romain Langasque, Jens Dantorp and Adrian Otaegui, while a clutch of players are on seven-under.

Fairmont St Andrews relies on the elements as its main defence, and with no wind on the Fife coast, it was there for the taking.

Ross Fisher set the early mark, as his 65 took him to the top of the leaderboard, but he was overhauled by Crocker who carded a 63.

The highlight of the round was a stunning eagle on the sixth.

A huge drive broke the back of the hole and with a mid iron, he hit his approach to 15 feet and rolled in the putt for a three.

The only blemish on the round was a bogey on 10, as he paid the price for finding the rough off the tee.

Crocker is in the middle of a busy spell, but found form recently following a lean time of things and his power will be a potent weapon this week.

First Round Leaderboard

• 1. Sean Crocker, nine-under
• T2. Ashley Chesters, eight-under
• T2. Adrian Otaegui, eight-under
• T2. Jens Dantorp, eight-under
• T2. Romain Langasque, eight-under
• T6. Ross Fisher, seven-under
• T6. David Law, seven-under
• T6. Connor Syme, seven-under
• T6. Victor Dubuisson, seven-under
• T6. Oliver Farr, seven-under

Reflecting on his nine missed cuts in a row, Crocker said: “Mentally it was probably the toughest thing I’ve gone through so far.

“That was probably the darkest I’ve been in my whole life on a golf course. It was the first time I’ve experienced bad things happen on a golf course.

“I had to grow up. I had to look at it like I’ve been lucky to play good golf so far and I am getting a taste of what this game is about.

“It made me aware of how hard this game is and it made me realise I can hit bad shots. There is no need to get upset about it. Mentally it helped me a lot.“

Chesters, Otaegui, Dantorp and Langasque got to within a shot of Crocker after rounds of 64, while a host of players including Fisher and David Law are on seven-under.

With conditions forecast to be calm on Friday, the cut line could be very high.