Jon Baker came to Royal Cinque Ports for his second visit holding the best round this field has ever played there, an 85 in the TEG 13 Trophy. Round one of the TEG 14 Trophy took a different view. He shot 92, handing back seven shots on his own high-water mark. The damage was done early and done thoroughly. A double bogey at the 2nd. A triple at the par-5 3rd. A bogey at the short 4th, one of the easiest holes on the course. Then a triple at the 5th and a bogey at the 6th. Five holes, not one net par among them, and a swift descent to the bottom of the Wooden Spoon race. There was a reprieve. Three straight pars from the 11th brought him nine Stableford points and the brief look of a man who remembered how this worked. It arrived far too late to alter anything. Baker ended round one last in the Trophy standings, and bottom of the Spoon race as well. The man who owns the best round ever played at Deal spent the evening propping up both tables. Ahead of him, David Mullin's 87 held the lead in the Trophy and the Green Jacket alike.

Alex Baker's round at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club moved between fine golf and open calamity, often within a single hole. Three consecutive doubles at the 3rd, 4th and 5th removed six shots from his card before anyone had settled. He then parred the 6th and drew level for the lead in the 2021 Green Jacket (Gross), which is the sort of thing that encourages a man. The encouragement was misplaced. An 8 at the 11th, one of the course's hardest holes, was followed by a quintuple-bogey 10 at the 16th. Two holes, nine shots surrendered, and not a word of complaint from the scorecard. Baker still walked off with 37 Stableford points and a gross 98. That is four shots better than his previous best here, and a personal best at the course. A promising start, an expensive middle, two craters, and a record. Deal gave him everything except peace.