No sign of the strong Storm front easing

Two weeks after claiming his maiden European Tour title in France, Hartlepool-born Storm carded a bogey-free opening round of six under to give himself every chance of enjoying a second success at Loch Lomond.

Storm is in a share of the lead with playing partner Phil Mickelson, in-form Dane Soren Hansen and Ryder Cup veteran Lee Westwood after hardly missing a putt on the American-style parkland course.

And with the Open Championship at Carnoustie due to start next Thursday, the North-Easterner is determined to maintain his current high standards.

"I know I'm in a rich vein of form, but I cannot go overboard about it," said Storm, who capitalised on a fine opening round to win at Le Golf National two tournaments ago. "I have to keep my feet firmly on the ground because this sort of form can go as quickly as it comes.

"All I know is that I have never hit the ball better. That is a great feeling to have when you are standing on the tee, and this is great because it's where I want to be.

"I want to be competing with the greatest names and now at last I am doing that. I just need to stay in this groove, not try to over-elaborate and just stay with my game the way it is now.

"I know I cannot putt any better, so if my long game stays good then who knows what might happen this week and next week at Carnoustie."

Yesterday's round was all the more impressive given that Storm was playing alongside Mickelson, currently the world number two.

The quality of his playing partner did not appear to faze him as he carded two birdies in nine holes after starting at the tenth, and he even appeared to be sharing a joke with the American as he finished with birdies at three, four, six and nine.

"Phil Michelson is one of the great all-time players, so to be up there with him makes it very special," said Storm. "He is one of my real golfing heroes and I cannot quite believe the scoreboard when I look up at it. It is unreal.

"I didn't get much sleep the night before, but it was awesome. He was quite interested to find out where I was from, we were talking about football and he was just telling me different stories.

"I hit a good first tee shot, a good second and I calmed down straight away."

There was not a single bogey on Storm's card and when he made a 35-foot putt for a closing birdie, his sixth of the round, Mickelson needed to hole his four-footer to be joint leader.

The American did just that and soon it became a three-way tie at the top when Hansen, the Dane pushed into second place in Paris and who led last week's European Open in Ireland with a round to play, completed yet another impressive round.

Then, late in the afternoon, Westwood continued his recent revival on his return to the course where he won nine years ago.

Mickelson was the only one of the quartet to drop a shot, but after it came on the 415-yard 12th he hit back with a three wood to 15 feet on the 560-yard next and sank the eagle putt.

A birdie at the 14th and four more in the last six holes when they switched to the front nine made it a highly satisfactory day's work for the left-hander, especially considering the Open at Carnoustie is only a week away and he missed the halfway cut in his last two tournaments.

At three under after five Colin Montgomerie, who following his European Open triumph on Sunday is eyeing top spot on the money list going to Carnoustie, was picking up where he left off, but bogeys at the 10th and 12th took some of the wind out of the Scot's sails and in the end he signed (after calling playing partner Ian Poulter back into the scorer's hut, presumably to amend a mistake on the card) for a 69.

Ernie Els shot 69, Luke Donald 70 and US Open champion Angel Cabrera, Darren Clarke and Sergio Garcia all 71s, but 1997 champion Tom Lehman struggled to a five-over 76 and Pablo Martin, making his European debut as a professional three months after becoming the circuit's first amateur winner, a 75.