Kingston, who finished T7 at Apes Hill last year, continued that good form with a superb opening 65 that was capped by the sole eagle of the day on the magnificent 638-yard par-five downhill closing hole. Faced with an approach of more than 300 yards, Kingston produced a moment of magic – hitting a 5-wood to 18 feet and then promptly sinking the putt to take a share of the lead after day one.
“I’d have been happy to make four at 18 but three was an absolute bonus,” said Kingston after tying the course record. “I turned the drive over a little bit and lost a bit of yardage in the rough, so I had 303 in and wasn’t actually sure I could get there. But I hit a solid 5-wood and it rolled up to about 18ft just past the hole… which was the perfect spot to hit it because it’s the easiest putt you could have on the green.
“My game feels pretty solid. I kept the ball in play, drove it well, set myself up with a lot of good iron shots and then putted decent. I didn’t make everything, but I made the putts that I needed to make. And to finish it off nicely with the three on the last always makes lunch taste a little better. I’m looking forward to the next two rounds.”
Drysdale, meanwhile, making his first appearance on the Legends Tour, matched Kingston with a 65 of his own that included seven birdies in blustery conditions on the magnificent 7,000-yard Apes Hill layout.
He also enjoyed a standout moment, with a near-ace on the treacherous par-three 16th hole. Having already fired in pin-point approaches that yielded birdies on both 13 and 14, the Scot drilled a 4-iron at a flag perched over water some 232 yards away that almost went in the hole for an unlikely ace. The ball stopped a matter of inches from the hole but Drysdale was clearly delighted with a two on what proved to be the most difficult hole on the course.
“I played really well and hit a lot of good shots,” he said after an impressive first competitive round on the Legends Tour. “It’s been breezy and a little bit tricky in places, so overall I’m delighted. The shot on 16 would normally be a 5-iron but with where the flag is and the false front it could land a little bit short and come back in the water. So I tried to cut a little 4-iron and it came out perfect. Any time you have three twos on the scorecard it’s a bonus.”
And while it might be Drysdale’s first round on the Legends Tour, he’s no stranger to Barbados. “I love it here. I proposed to my wife on the beach here in Barbados, we got married here in 2004 and have been back a handful of times since then. So this has been the one that I was really looking forward to. I’m going to enjoy the Legends Tour as I’ve been looking forward to it for a couple of years. I’d love to play like this every day, but I know that doesn’t happen. So really it’s now just more of the same.”
Kingston and Drysdale find themselves two clear of a chasing pack of five players, including reigning Order of Merit winner Adilson da Silva, Malcolm Mackenzie, Robert Coles, Simon Khan and Bradley Dredge, who all carded four-under-par 67s.
Welshman Dredge made five birdies on the front nine and added another on 12 to climb to four-under. A superb approach to the front of the 18th green from the right rough then set up an eagle opportunity to tie the lead, but having left the first putt short, he was then unable to convert the birdie effort and was forced to settle for a par at the last.
Three players – English duo Greg Owen and Craig Farrelly, along with Keith Horne – sit at -3 with a further five players, including defending champion Peter Baker, a further shot back at two-under.
Having won at Apes Hill in dramatic fashion in a play-off against Sweden’s Mikael Lundberg 12 months ago, Ryder Cup player Baker opened up his 2025 campaign with three early birdies. But having started on the 10th hole, he came undone with a double-bogey five at the 16th having flown the green.
Another double followed on his 12th before a birdie on the last salvaged a 69 on what was an up-and-down day for the man who finished second in the Legends Tour Order of Merit – the MCB Road to Mauritius – last season and won it the year before.
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Day 1 Round Up Video
