Teenage surprise claims Philip McLean scalp

Published on Wednesday 28 July 2010 20:11

NICKY Gold, the oldest player left in the field, and Alasdair MacDougall, the youngest, meet today in the last 32 of the Allied Surveyors Scottish Amateur Championship at Gullane, where three seeds fell over the course of the second and third rounds.

• Royal Troon club champion Paul Moultrie was too strong for Kris Nicol. Picture: Phil Wilkinson

MacDougall, a 15-year-old schoolboy from Paisley who only got into the event last Friday as a reserve, claimed one of those scalps as he beat SGU Order of Merit leader Philip McLean, while Gold's fellow fortysomething, Paul Moultrie, beat Kris Nicol, the runner-up in both the Lytham Trophy and Irish Open Stroke Play Championship this year.

On a dramatic day on the East Lothian coast, MacDougall, a member at Elderslie who also plays at West Kilbride, where he reached the quarter-finals in this year's Scottish Boys' Championship, recovered from losing the opening hole to get the better of McLean, coming close to a first hole-in-one when his 3-wood tee shot stopped two inches from going in at the ninth.

"This is my career high so far," said the diminutive MacDougall, who was watched by Dean Robertson, his coach for the past year and a bit. "I think match play is my forte as you can go out and have a freedom to play shots."

Gold, a 46-year-old who plays his golf at Bonnyton, set up today's all-Renfrewshire clash after beating Marc Smith of Troon Welbeck at the 20th, where a bogey proved good enough in "a comedy of errors". Reflecting on his best effort in the SGU's flagship event - he'd never got past the third round before - Gold, an account director, said: "I'm delighted, but my boss probably won't be as I was dealing with a whole load of e-mails at lunchtime."

Moultrie hasn't been able to put work out of his mind either this week. A self-described "journeyman amateur", the 45-year-old, joint-owner of a construction company based in Stevenston in Ayrshire and East Kilbride, arrived at the East Lothian course yesterday in his pinstripe suit after attending an early-morning meeting and didn't have time to hit any balls on the range.

In a match where he was conceding at least 20 yards off the tee to his younger opponent, Moultrie, who made his first appearance in the SGU's flagship event on the same course 27 years ago, just held on to win on the last green after being four up with six to play.

Moultrie won the club championship at Royal Troon this year, having also claimed similar success in the past at Western Gailes, Troon Portland, Balmore and West Kilbride, the latter as a junior. Earlier this year he reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Mid Amateur at East Renfrewshire, losing to the host cub's Craig Watson.

"I'm absolutely exhausted. I was in the office yesterday morning before coming through here as we had an audit taking place and I was back there again for a meeting at 7:30am today. I left there about 11:15am and I certainly didn't have any time to hit any balls before I played," said Moultrie.

Lundin's James White had been the first of the eight seeds to exit earlier in the day, but title favourite James Byrne looks as though he's building up a head of steam, as are other leading contenders in Michael Stewart, David Law, Greg Paterson, Ross Kellett and Jordan Findlay.

Cameron Marr, a 17-year-old from Musselburgh, is a surprise last-32 opponent for Byrne, the top seed. Making his debut in the event, Marr, who has reduced his handicap from six to scratch in the last 18 months, holed an 8-iron from 150 yards for an eagle-2 at the fifth in his 2 and 1 win over Alan Welsh of Torrance House.

After doing well to get up and down a couple of times for halves early on, Byrne was always in control against Craigielaw's Shaun Deegan, admitting afterwards that he was enjoying the testing windy conditions: "It's not target golf and that makes it more interesting. Anything under par is almost guaranteed to win a match," said the 21-year-old from Banchory.

After recovering from being three down with eight to play to win his morning match, Stewart was seven-under for 15 holes in the afternoon, when defending champion Law found his putting touch to progress.

Paterson, who lost to eventual winner Callum Macaulay in the quarter-finals at Carnoustie two years ago, has made it to the fourth round without too much fuss, as have Kellett and Findlay.

First quarter

C Marr (Musselburgh) bt A Welsh (Torrance House) 2 and 1

J Byrne (Banchory) bt S Deegan (Craigielaw) 4 and 3

A Dick (Kingsknowe) bt S Fairburn (Torwoodlee) 7 and 6

D Shields (Dunblane New) bt S Gibson (Southerness) one hole

M Watson (Elgin) bt R Bell (Downfield) 5 and 3

M Smyth (Royal Troon) bt B Rushford (Grangemouth) one hole

K Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle) bt G Forrest (Craigielaw) 2 and 1

G Paterson* (St Andrews New) bt M Collin (Eyemouth) 3 and 2.

Second quarter

P Moultrie (Royal Troon) bt K Nicol (Fraserburgh) one hole

J Duff (Newmachar) bt J Aitken (Alloa) 3 and 2

Baird bt Redford one hole

Shanks bt McCulloch 2 and 1

Pennycott bt Ross 3 and 2

Findlay bt Miller 3 and 2

Cunningham bt Arthur 2 and 1

Gray bt Forman 2 and 1.

Third quarter

McDougall bt McLean* 2 and 1

Gold bt Smith at 20th

McColl bt Dailly 3 and 2

Wright bt Speirs at 20th

MacKay bt Johnston 5 and 3

Sharkey bt Maxwell 4 and 3

Godsman bt Black 4 and 3

Stewart bt Dunton 5 and 3.

Fourth quarter

Law bt Henderson 3 and 2

Wood bt Jenkins 5 and 4

Johnston bt Westwell 3 and 2

Riddick bt Roberts 3 and 2

Shields bt Machin at 20th

Neilson bt Sweeney at 20th

Kellett bt Hopley 3 and 2

Ferrier bt O'Neil 2 and 1.