Golf: Ross in a fine state after show at Troon

Published on Wednesday 29 July 2009 10:00

JAMES ROSS, the rising star in Lothians golf, has made a big impression with one of the United States' top college coaches in reaching the third round of the Allied Surveyors Scottish Amateur Championship at Royal Troon.

The 19-year-old Royal Burgess player crushed Kyle McClung from Wigtownshire County by 7 and 6 to progress to the last 64 and is being tipped for a bright future by Samuel Puryear Jnr, the head men's golf coach at Michigan State University.

Ross heads there next month to start a four-year golf scholarship and Puryear Jnr was buzzing with excitement as he reflected on what he'd seen from the Edinburgh lad over the opening two days in Ayrshire.

"The sky's the limit for James," he declared. "First and foremost, his golf IQ is high and, secondly, his work ethic is unbelievable."

According to Puryear, Ross is comparable with Jack Newman, the Michigan State player who made the cut in the Masters earlier this year – he qualified by winning the US Public Links Championship – and recently secured a top-40 finish in the John Deere Classic. "They both have the same build and both hit the ball high," he added. "James has the natural game to step straight into our team and I expect that to be the case next month."

Ross was joined in the third round late in the day by two other Lothians players – Harburn's Stuart Boyle and Craigielaw's Myles Cunningham.

For the second match running, Boyle was rewarded for finding fairways as he beat Danny Gibson, a Scotland under-18 A squad player from Perth, by 4 and 3 while Cunningham edged through against Garry Duncan (Carnoustie Caledonia) in monsoon-like conditions.

Having had no favours from the draw, Kingsknowe's Allyn Dick battled bravely but bowed out at the hands of Fifer Greg Paterson – a semi-finalist 12 months ago – in their second-round match, while Zander Culverwell, the 2006 Lothians champion from Dunbar, lost at the 19th to Barry Brooks (Meldrum House) in one of the last matches off the course just before 9pm.

In conditions that suited his low ball flight, Gullane's John Miller produced one of the best performances in the remaining first-round ties as he beat Philip McLean, runner-up in this season's Scottish Champion of Champions and a protege of former Open champion Paul Lawrie.

Miller, 37, was a splendid three-under-par for the 14 holes played as he won 5 and 4 – the first time he'd succeeded in progressing past the opening round in five attempts.

Fresh from helping Bathgate win the Lothians Team Tournament, Scott McClory marked his debut in the event with a 5 and 3 win over Elgin's Derek Ramsay, the 34-year-old West Lothian man laying the foundations with a steady front nine that saw him turn for home with a four-hole cushion. McClory's second-round opponent today was Marriott Dalmahoy's Dougie Hunter, who thumped Ayrshireman John Sloan by 6 and 5 to feel much better than he did earlier in the year when he had his clubs stolen during the Dispatch Trophy at the Braids.

Fraser Henderson, a 27-year-old former Craigielaw champion, wasn't feeling too great when he reached the seventh tee four down to American-based Stan Morrison. After winning four holes on the trot, Henderson, who is doing a physics degree at Edinburgh University, went two down again after 12 but reeled off another four-hole burst to prevail by 2 and 1.

On a day of mixed fortunes for the Neilson brothers, Stephen beat Fifer David Thom by 5 and 4 but Jamie went down by 2 and 1 to Christopher Forman from Peterhead. Adopting a strategy of using a 3-wood to have a better chance of hitting fairways, Stephen, a 21-year-old who caddies at Muirfield, was four up after eight and went through comfortably.

Olly Huish lost a ball with his opening tee shot and went two down after two before recovering well to beat Michael Grunwell, a plus three player from Powfoot, by one hole.

By contrast, Craigielaw's Martin Stein got off to a flying start, winning the first four holes, as he beat Bellshill's David McCreadie by 4 and 3 in the last of the 128 first-round matches. Duddingston's Stuart Smith bowed out with his head held high, the four-time Lothians champion losing on the last green to Kevin McAlpine after his opponent came home in three-under-par to recover from being four down at the turn.

"That was the best I've hit the ball this year," admitted Smith, who vowed to be back for another title tilt at Gullane in 12 months time.

Paul Ferrier, the 2007 Scottish Boys' champion from Baberton, was "very disappointed" after losing on the last green to Erskine's Michael Dailly, while Bathgate's Simon Lockhart suffered the agony of a 19th-hole defeat at the hands of Craig Watson, the 1997 Amateur champion.