Gary Murphy shot an opening five-under round of 67 to share fifth place as Welshman Phillip Price leads the Sergio Melpignano Senior Italian Open after a flawless 64 in testing conditions on day one at San Domenico Golf in Puglia.
The K Club man made three birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free opening effort to sit three shots off the lead as he looks to secure his playing rights for 2026 as he came into the week in 76th place in the Legends Tour rankings having only been able to gain limited starts in 2025.
2002 Ryder Cup player Price made five birdies in seven holes on the front nine and backed it up with an eagle on the par-five 10th as he seized the outright lead on a day of low scoring in Southern Italy.
He leads at -8 by two shots from David Shacklady and Greig Hutcheon who both carded rounds of 66. No less than eight players sit one further back at -5, including debutant Jamie Donaldson, fellow Ryder Cupper Peter Baker, and Andrew Marshall, who finished third in Italy last year.
“I played really nicely today,” said Price, who has enjoyed a run of strong performances in recent months, including top-10s at the Black Desert NI Legends and the European Legends Cup hosted by José María Olazabal.
“I hit a lot of shots close and made a lot of putts today. You always want to be a bit better off but I’m very happy with that round. I’ve gone back to one of my old swing thoughts and so I feel I’m hitting it better. It’s to do with keeping my right arm straight on the takeaway and I played really well in 2017 doing that so I’m just trying to get back to it.”
Q-School graduate Shacklady had joined Price at -8 with two holes left to play before a double-bogey six at his 17th hole halted his progress. Nevertheless, the Englishman was still satisfied with his first day’s work in Puglia.
“If you’d offered me six-under I would have taken it,” said Shacklady, who sits 60th in the Order of Merit and needs a strong finish to the season to retain his playing card for 2026.
“I made three birdies in a row to start with and just kept it going. I had chances all the way round and made a few of them. It’s disappointing to give two back like I did but all in all I’m happy.
“I’ve been playing really well at home, practising hard and working on my fitness so it’s nice to come out and do what I’ve been doing at home. I played well here last year, finishing top-10, so that helps. It obviously just suits my eye. I putted beautifully today and played really solid – just hit one bad shot. But I’m up there, so it’s on to tomorrow.”
Shacklady’s two-putt from 60 feet on his last hole kept him alongside Scotland’s Greig Hutcheon, who was also able to master the windy conditions on a day where scoring became difficult later on.
“I was quite pleased with the way I was able to control the flight of my ball today,” said Hutcheon, who won the Legends Open de France in 2024. “With the weather forecast saying it’s going to be a very windy day tomorrow I’m glad to be going out early. I’ve been struggling this year but hopefully I might have found something. I’ve just been hitting one bad shot and missing one putt a day that I should have made really, and that’s the difference. So it’s nice to get a good round under my belt and hole a few putts – and more importantly, feel like I have control of my ball.”
England’s Peter Baker is looking to chase down Order of Merit leader Scott Hend, and is one of eight players at -5 after an opening 67 – four shots better than the Australian who currently sits atop the season-long rankings. Defending champion Thomas Gögele is T27 after a two-under-par 70, while debutants Donaldson and Johan Edfors managed rounds of 67 and 69, respectively.
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