Swede Simon Forsstrom leads the Soudal Open in Antwerp after a bogey-free round of 64, with James Morrison a stroke behind.
James Morrison of England
England’s James Morrison enjoyed a welcome return to form at the Soudal Open, where he is within a shot of the lead after the opening day in Antwerp.
Morrison missed the cut in six of his 10 events in 2023 and posted his best finish of 46 in January, but scored six birdies on a flawless 6-under 65 to share second with compatriot Andrew Wilson, Marcel Siem and Jens Dantorp.
Swede Simon Forsstrom, who won the DP World Tour qualifying school last year, leads the way at 7-under after a bogey-free 64 at Rinkven International Golf Club.
“It feels really, really good considering the golf I’ve been playing for the last eight or nine months,” Morrison said.
“It was a good day to play so well and it was really nice. It’s been a pretty slow start to the year. It’s been coming, but the hardest thing in golf is patience and waiting.”
“Length is not one of my strong points, but you come here and lick your lips a little bit and think ‘I can win or do well here’ and it’s a matter of keeping your precision and moving on.”
Forsstrom is also a fan of a field that measures under 7,000 yards, saying, “I’ve been playing pretty steady, making a lot of cuts and a couple of top 10s.
“I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and seeing what I can do, I feel like the game is pretty good right now.
“I always enjoyed playing in Belgium when we played here on the Challenge Tour. I like the course because it’s narrow and not that long, so it should suit me.”
“When I saw it during the practice round I was very pleased with the course, I’m glad I was able to take advantage of it.”
Home favorite Thomas Detry is three strokes off the lead after an opening 67.
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