Jamaica's defending champion Johnny Bloomfield ... dropped eight strokes off the lead after a very good start. - photo by Adrian Frater

Western Bureau:

Canada's Oliver Tubb found the scenic Half Moon Golf Course in Montego Bay much to his liking on yesterday's first day of the 46th staging of the 54-hole LIME Jamaica Open Golf Championship, when he shot a good-looking 66 to be the tournament's leader after 18 holes.

Tubb was one of four players to finish with under par scores in the 63-strong international field, which consists of both professionals and amateurs. The other three players with under par scores were the Italian Marcello Santi, who shot a 69; and Dave Rummell and Joe Choi, both of the United States, who both shot 71.

"My aim was to go out there and create a good impression so I am pleased with the way things went today," said Tubb, who is making his first appearance in Jamaica. "I am looking forward to match what I did today, come tomorrow."

Imposing start

Defending champion and two-time winner, Jamaica's Johnny Bloomfield, got off to an imposing start as he was four under par after five holes. However, as the winds kicked up and the conditions got tougher, he faltered badly and finished on 74, eight strokes off the lead.

"It could easily have been a 66 out there for me if I had continued the way I started," said Bloomfield. "However, after what was an excellent start for me, I missed nine consecutive greens and that set me back quite a bit."

Today, Bloomfield, who is chasing Seymour Rose's record of three Jamaican Open titles, said he plans to be very aggressive as he will basically be pulling out all the stops to peg back the leaders.

"I am still in it ... I just need to play the second 18 holes better than I did today to put myself in a good position going into Saturday's final day," said Bloomfield. "I strongly believe there is a 66 somewhere out there for me."

Among the other players Bloomfield will have to get by to win the tournament are Gregg Pieczynski of the United States, who shot an even par 72; and Dave Rummell, also of the United States, who shot one over par 71.

Strong winds

While some of the golfers bemoaned the challenge presented by the strong winds, the tournament's organisers were pretty pleased with the way things went.

"We are very satisfied with the way things came together and believe we are well on our way to a successful championship," said tournament director Oliver Marshall. "We managed to iron out all the kinks quite early and we were up and running in short order."

The eventual champion will walk away with US$14,000. The second-place finisher will take home US$8,000, third US$5,500, fourth US$4,000, fifth US$3,000 and sixth US$2,600.