Vintage Stadler can toast his Senior Open hole-in-one

Craig Stadler hit a hole-in-one in the opening round at the Senior British Open on Thursday, winning 123 bottles of wine, one for every yard, as a prize from a sponsor.

The 1982 Masters champion used a pitching wedge to find the front of the green at the eighth hole at Troon - the shortest in the history of any British Open, called the Postage Stamp - and the ball bounced twice before rolling in.

American Bruce Vaughan made eight birdies Thursday in a three-under 68 to share the clubhouse lead with Eduardo Romero of Argentina, but Greg Norman labored to a 75.

Vaughan's opening round on the links course at Troon was hampered by a double-bogey and a triple. But he recovered from those sevens at the sixth and 12th holes to play the last six three-under par.

"It was either feast or famine," Vaughan said. "Outside of those two hockey sticks (7s) it was a good round."

Birdies were tough to find for Norman, however, despite his impressive form at last week's British Open at Royal Birkdale, where he led the championship with nine holes to play but finished tied for third.

The Australian, whose last of two Open triumphs was 15 years ago, has yet to win a seniors title and was hopeful that this, his fourth event in the world of the over 50s, might make up for the hurt of Sunday's final round, where he saw the Open title go to playing partner Padraig Harrington.

In sunny conditions at Troon, Norman bogeyed six of the first 10 holes and was six-over before he finally picked up a shot at the par-four 13th. He made one more at the last with a pitch to three feet.

While Norman struggled, playing partner Tom Watson made every green and missed only one fairway in a bogey-free 70.

"I don't think I have made all 18 greens ever in my life," said Watson, who has won three Senior British Opens to go with the five he collected before he turned 50. "I am very happy. I shot a good round of golf in unusual conditions with the wind changing direction."