THERE might be a lack of European Tour golf in the North-East but there was plenty of quality on show when former Ryder Cup golfer Mark James turned out at De Vere Slaley Hall yesterday.

James is leading the way as the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship heads into today's second round after a display bringing back memories of his four top five finishes in the Open Championship - and even surprising him.

Despite a number of appearances on the Hunting course during his younger days, not even he could remember a more consistent and rewarding 18 holes than what he delivered yesterday.

James will turn 60 next year yet somehow delivered the sort of performance which has deserted the likes of Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle - two notable absentees - on the same greens and fairways in the past.

The annual Seniors event is about as good as it gets these days in the region when it comes to professional golf tournaments and James - among others on show - provided proof the immaculate Slaley Hall course is worth a visit over the next few days to see the elder Tour pros showcase their stuff.

"There is a perception we (the Seniors) don't play that well," said James, after walking off the course with a five-under 67 yesterday lunchtime which held top spot for the rest of the day.

"It's obviously not an easy course because people have played it and said so. But some are shooting decent scores, we know we have a number of good players here."

Another notable absentee was Roger Chapman, who only last month won the US PGA Seniors Championship in Michigan. Eight years earlier James became the first European to win a major Seniors event when he claimed the Ford Players Championship.

In the last couple of weeks that sort of form has returned. After climbing up to finish second at the Benahavis Senior Masters at La Quinta last weekend, he posted his fourth competitive 67 in a row in Northumberland. He puts much of his resurgence down to his improved putting.

"I started to putt very well last week; out of nowhere really," said James. "It felt pure, the swing was there, smooth and rhythmical. That's not normal for me! It makes a huge difference to my game if I start to putt very well.

"I read a hugely useful book last year some time. It said if you hole putts on the putting green and miss them on the course it is mental, but if you can't hole them on the putting green then it is technical.

"That put my mind at rest because I knew then that it wasn't mental. I know now that if I want to putt better then I have to improve my stroke. I don't know what the technical problem is/was, but I know now if I can't hole them then it's not mental because I was putting badly on the putting green."

It is three years since the second of his two Seniors Tour triumphs arrived in Mallorca, so he is certainly not thinking about Sunday night just yet.

And even when he draws on the experience of seven Ryder Cup appearances as a player and 13 European Tour wins, his inconsistency on the greens have left him braced for a dip.

He said: "It's too early to think about winning, I need two rounds under my belt before that. It was a testing breeze so I am certainly very pleased. This was a good round because it is a tough course."

James was the clubhouse leader and, despite those with later tee times, sits one shot better off than compatriot Bob Cameron, who goes in to today's second round on four under.

Swede Anders Forsbrand, who went around with James and Sam Torrance (+3), is among those tied fourth on two under. Former Barnard Castle golfer John Harrison and his brother Phil sit level on five over, while their other brother Steve props up the leaderboard on 15 over. Rockliffe Hall's Roger Roper, meanwhile, is tied 98th after shooting 79.

Free tickets for the remaining three days at Slaley can be downloaded by visiting pga.info and clicking on 'PGA Seniors' on the home page.