Home is the Wright place for Gareth

Published on Saturday 5 July 2008 11:19

LOTHIANS golfer Gareth Wright says a return to the home comforts has helped his bid for glory in the £55,000 Gleneagles Scottish PGA championship.

The West Linton ace, a former GB&I Walker Cup squad member and Welsh Eisenhower Trophy player, fired a three-under 70 over the PGA Centenary course.

That left him five shots behind halfway leader Craig Lee of Stirling going into today’s third round.

Edinburgh-based Wright, 26, recently moved back to the Capital after a stint in London and is once again honing his game under the watchful eye of dad Ian, the West Linton head pro and former mentor of Sandy Lyle,

He said: “I got married recently and my wife and I had a spell in London but we decided to move back to Edinburgh. I’m more settled again up here and now that I’m getting coaching again with my dad I feel my game is getting back on track.

“Now I’m enjoying my golf again and it’s nice to be in the mix at a tournament.”

Wright, who won the qualifying round for this week’s championship at Downfield last month, countered a couple of bogeys at the sixth and tenth with a haul of four birdies and an eagle at the ninth.

He added: “I never really capitalised on the par-fives today and given that I was three-under at the turn I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t make more of my score but I’ve got myself back in it and I have to be happy.”

Wright was joined on 145 by Edinburgh’s former Walker Cup player David Patrick, fourth in the championship last year, who added a 71 to his opening 74.

But Braid Hills’ Paul McKechnie saw his challenge suffer a blow as he slipped to a two-over 75.