Martin Dempster: Forrest has real chance to grow

Published on Thursday 23 July 2009 12:11

GRANT FORREST, arguably the brightest young prospect in Lothians golf, has been handed the chance to make a name for himself in next week's Allied Surveyors Scottish Amateur Championship at Royal Troon.

The Craigielaw teenager, who won the Scottish Under-16 Championship at Largs a fortnight ago, is up against Paul O'Hara, one of the top seeds, in the first round of the SGU's flagship event on Monday.

O'Hara, the younger brother of European Tour player Steven, reached the final at Gullane in 2004, losing to Fifer George Murray, and helped Scotland win the European Team Championship in North Wales last month.

He has since lifted the Sutherland Chalice, a Scottish Order of Merit event, in Dumfries and is an outsider for the Walker Cup later in the year yet Forrest could prove a potential banana skin for him in Ayrshire.

The 16-year-old has enjoyed a great season so far, the highlight being his win at Largs, where he produced a classy display to beat a strong field and underline his undoubted potential. A sizeable Lothians contingent is heading to Troon, with James Ross from Royal Burgess not having to wait long to launch his assault on the title. He's out at 6.45am on Monday in the first match of the championship and will be hoping he can take care of Glencruitten's Allan McKie.

Like Forrest, Joe Lockie has been handed a tasty-looking tie, the Tantallon player facing Gavin Dear, the top seed and one of Scotland's Eisenhower Trophy-winning team in Australia last year.

Having reached the last eight in the Amateur Championship earlier in the year, Craigielaw's Mark Hillson will be hoping to show his liking for match-play golf once again and he's up against John Shanks from Irvine Bogside in round one.

Hillson will probably have to be on top form to win that one, as will Duddingston's Stuart Smith, Stephen Buckley from Royal Burgess and Bathgate's Simon Lockhart in their opening matches.

Smith, still a useful player on his day, faces a former winner in Alyth's Kevin McAlpine, former Scottish Boys' champion Buckley takes on Peter Latimer, a rising star on the St Andrews scene, while Lockhart will have to overcome Craig Watson, who beat Trevor Immelman to win the Amateur Championship more than a decade ago, to avoid an early exit.

Smith's clubmate, David Miller, faces an unknown quantity in Robert McGrory from Singing Hills in Sussex but Marriott Dalmahoy's Robert Carson will know all about James White as his first-round opponent is a former Scottish Boys' champion.

So, too, is Baberton's Paul Ferrier and he'll launch his challenge to join an exclusive double club against Michael Dailly from Erskine on Monday, the same day that Kingsknowe's Allyn Dick, a player who is certainly capable of making it to the later stages next week, takes on Fraser Fotheringham from Nairn.

In truth, Dick would probably have preferred a slightly easier task to start and the same certainly goes for Graham Robertson (Silverknowes), Mark Dickson (Gullane) and Andrew Rothney (Deer Park), who are up against Greg Paterson (St Andrews New), Gordon Yates (Hilton Park) and Ian Redford (St Andrews New) respectively.

Among those who will have to wait until Tuesday to tee off their campaigns are the Neilson brothers, Stephen and Jamie, from Dunbar, with Craigielaw's Martin Stein facing David McCreadie from Bellshill in the last of the 128 first-round ties due to be played.

In addition to Dear and O'Hara, the other seeds for the event – won last year by Callum Macaulay, who is now in the pro ranks – are Keir McNicoll, James Byrne, Michael Stewart, Ross Kellett, Steven McEwan and Wallace Booth, the latter facing an interesting opening task against Jordan Findlay, a former Scottish Boys' champion.

Other ties involving Lothians players are: Monday: Marcello Russo (Craigielaw) v Euan Kennedy (Stonehaven); Les Pirie (Millport) v Stuart Boyle (Harburn); Sean Kennedy (Dumfries & Galloway) v Tom Blennerhasset (Marriott Dalmahoy); Dean Yeats (Nigg Bay) v Zander Culverwell (Dunbar); Greg Nicolson (Mortonhall) v Barry Brooks (Meldrum House); Myles Cunningham (Craigielaw) v Christopher Wedgeworth (Cowglen); Richard Craig (Merchants) v Colin Mundie (Falkirk); Stewart McCulloch (McDonald) v Richard Gill (Craigmillar Park); Ed Wood (Crow Wood) v Graeme Millar (Swanston New); Neil Henderson (Glen) v Nick Robson (Meldrum House); Martin McCrory (Cathkin Braes) v Greg Richards (Kingsknowe); Scott McClory (Bathgate) v John Sloan (Doon Valley). Tuesday: Dougie Hunter (Marriott Dalmahoy) v Andrew Wallace (Glenbervie); David Thom (Burntisland) v Stephen Neilson (Dunbar); Fraser Henderson (Craigielaw) v Stan Morrison (US); Christopher Foreman (Peterhead) v Jamie Neilson (Dunbar); Neil McKinnon (Murcar Links) v Torquil McInroy (North Berwick); Philp McLean (Peterhead) v John Miller (Gullane); Michael Grunwell (Powfoot) v Olly Huish (North Berwick).