9:10am Friday 10th July 2009
By Scott Wilson
GRAEME Storm has attributed his fine recent form to a fitness drive that has seen him lose more than a stone in the last month.
Hartlepool-born Storm carded an impressive sixunder- par round of 65 on the opening day of the Scottish Open yesterday, enough to leave him in a pack of four players just one shot behind leader Richard Green.
Last week’s 13th-placed finish at the French Open followed hot on the heels of a fourth-placed finish at the BMW International Open, and lifted Storm to 49th in the European Tour rankings.
The 31-year-old is rediscovering the form that brought him his only Tour victory two years ago, and claims a new fitness programme has helped propel him back into contention.
“I’ve been focusing on my fitness,” said Storm, who carded seven birdies and a bogey at the Loch Lomond course.
“It was a change I felt I needed.
I needed to get stronger in certain areas.
“That was the main reason for it, but then I went for some assessments and some of the results were not nice. That has made me keep working harder in the gym.
“I had a scan for body fat and I am not going to say what it was, but it wasn’t very good.
It gave me the kick-start that I required to move on.”
Storm made improving his fitness a priority at the start of the summer, and cites Tiger Woods and Ernie Els as two examples of players who have turned their strength and conditioning into key components of their game.
“The world number one is also the fittest guy isn’t he,”
said Storm.
“He is the best in every department, so being fit is a massive thing. It helps you mentally as well.
“I always thought I was okay for two, maybe two-anda- half rounds, but then I would struggle towards the end. I wasn’t getting the results and I felt it was something I needed to do.
“The fitter you are, the easier it is, especially in tough climates.
I’ve played in Asia, Australia and Tulsa, which was the hottest place I’ve ever been.
“I’ve never been a great player out of the rough, and when you see guys like Ernie Els and all the stronger players hit it out of there and get it onto the green, whereas I have always had to lay up, that makes you think. I am getting better and stronger in that department.”
Storm was in the first group out yesterday morning, teeing off at 7.30am, but he still made a blistering start, posting birdies on the opening two holes.
He gave a shot back on the fifth, but returned to two under at the turn with a birdie on the ninth. He moved to three under with a three on the 12th, and carded consecutive birdies on the 15th, 16th and 17th to finish in style.
“I rolled the ball well and am pleased with the start of the week,” he said.
“I started to hit the ball a lot better on the back nine, and was a little bit more at ease with what I was doing. I holed a good couple of putts at 15 and 17, and rolled in two good putts to finish the round off.”
Storm is two shots clear of fellow North-Easterner Kenneth Ferrie, who notched four birdies in the space of five front-nine holes en route to a four-under-par round of 67.
Ashington-born Ferrie, who must finish as the highest non-qualified player to book a place at next week’s Open Championship, is hoping a repeat over the next three days will be enough to secure a spot at Turnberry.
“I realise this is the last shot of the dice, but I am always happy with my game when I shoot somewhere near the mid-60s,” said Ferrie. “You cannot ask for much more than that.
“I am very confident with my game, and the goal has to be to get into the Open next week.
“If I play like that for four days, I have a fantastic chance of making it. If I don’t, then I won’t.
“I am tucked in there nicely behind the leaders and you cannot ask for much more than that on the first day of a big tournament.”
Barnard Castle’s Robert Dinwiddie is only three shots behind Storm after a welcome 68, while Malton and Norton professional Simon Dyson finished the opening day on level par.
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