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American Bob Boyd leads Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open with opening round of 63

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53 year old American Bob Boyd, playing in his first full season since battling a career threatening form of leukemia, shot a stunning opening round 63 to lead the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open by two strokes in Switzerland.

Boyd had a successful bone marrow transplant in 2006 after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and has slowly been regaining his strength and form, finishing eighth at the Azores Seniors Open and the Russian Seniors Open.

He admitted that he had struggled to come to terms with links courses in between those two season- best finishes, as the European Seniors Tour visited Jersey, Wales, Ireland and then Royal Troon.

But Boyd said the Golf Club Bad Ragaz was more to his liking after carding eight birdies and just the one bogey, when he found the bunker on the eighth hole, to lead on seven under par ahead of Spain’s Domingo Hospital and Scotland’s Bill Longmuir who both carded rounds of 65.

Boyd is now keen to avoid a repeat of 2005 when he followed a superb opening round 66 with a disappointing 77 to drop out of contention, eventually finishing in tied 31st.

Hospital, who finished second behind Seniors Tour Order of Merit leader Ian Woosnam at the Parkridge Polish Seniors Championship in May, carded five birdies in his flawless five under par round of 65.

Bill Longmuir also went round without dropping a shot as he chases his second victory of 2008 following his win at the season curtain raiser, the DGM Barbados Open. New Zealand’s Simon Owen is a shot further back on four under par.