ROSE HALL, St James — Defending champion Russ Cochrane was the first-day leader of the 49th Half Moon Hotel-sponsored Jamaica Open at the Half Moon Golf Course after shooting a sparkling six-under-par 66 under trying conditions yesterday.

The 2011 British Open champion carded six birdies, including one on the par-five first hole, to lead Jamaican-born USA-based Peter Horrobin, who had a five-under-par 67 as 10 golfers shot under-par scores.

American Senior professional Cochrane is two shots ahead of his pace last year when he shared the lead after the first day with a four-under-par 68 score.

Jamaica’s Owen Samuda is in third place on three-under-par-69, while Jesse Smith and Dustin Ridon are tied on two-under 70. Five other players, led by local professional Dermott Paul Warren and including former champion Olin Browne, Michael Carbone, Gene Jones and Gary Hallberg, are tied on one-under-par 71.

Keith Stein shot four-over-par 76 to be the top local amateur.

Seventy-three players started the 54-hole strokeplay tournament yesterday — 52 professionals and 21 amateurs.

Tournament director David Mais was pleased with yesterday’s proceedings and said the faster greens also helped, despite wind gusts of over 25 miles per hour intermittently.

“The players were pleased with the course conditions and the speed of the greens,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “The greens are faster than they were on Wednesday during the practice rounds and the Pro-Am.”

Mais also told the Observer that allowing players to use distance-measuring devises in the absence of yardage books was also welcomed by the players.

He explained that cost was the main reason for the absence of the yard books, but said that was something they could look at for next year to “upgrade the tournament”.

While the measuring devises were not allowed at the major tour events, other smaller events allowed them, he further explained.

“If the yards information is wrong, it could throw off the players and cause a loss of confidence, so we allow them to play to their fullest potential.”

Mais said he was expecting even better scores on today’s second day that starts at 7:30 am, with the players now more familiar with tournament conditions and warned that players such as Jones, Hallberg and Browne “could shoot in the high 60s”.

Today, Cochrane will be in the final group that is set to tee-off at 11:30 am, along with Horrobin and Samuda, while Warren, Risdon and Jessie Smith will be in the group ahead of them.