7am Round-Up: Alastair Forsyth fires 11-under 62 at Downfield

Alastair Forsyth set a new course record with his stunning effort at the Dundee venue

The 11-under-par effort broke the professional course record, held by Paul Lawrie and Andrew Crerar, by three shots and was also one below host club member Graham Bell’s amateur record at the Dundee venue.

“The key was a combination of driving the ball well as it’s one of those courses where you definitely have to put it on the fairway and the putter being hot,” said Forsyth following a five-shot win in the RBS Discovery Pro-Am.

The 40-year-old actually started with a three-putt bogey at the second – his opening hole – before igniting the round with an eagle at the fourth then adding another one two holes later.

“I had 10-under a couple of times on Tour, both occasions in Germany I think. But the only time I’ve been 11-under was probably in a bounce game at Ralston,” added Forsyth. “I’ve been playing well lately and today was one of those days when I couldn’t do anything wrong, especially with the putter in my hands.”

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Catriona Matthew is sitting just above the cut line after signing for level-par 72 in the first round of the Manulife LPGA Classic in Ontario.

The Olympian bogeyed the ninth - her final hole - to sit six shots off the lead, held by Korean Chella Choi, who signed for seven birdies at Whistle Bear Golf Club.

Colin Montgomerie is also in Canada to compete in the Snaw Charity Classic, a Champions Tour event which gets underway today.

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Ewen Ferguson’s professional debut didn’t go to plan as the Bearsden player carded a disappointing five-over 75 to sit last of nine Scots in the field and 12 shots off the lead in the Cordon Open, a Challenge Tour event in  Pleneuf in France.

In fairness, the 20-year-old wasn’t helped by the fact his clubs only arrived on Wednesday night after being lost by Air France, with Grant Forrest’s preparation for his latest Challenge Tour start as an amateur also being hindered by the same problem.

On a day when English duo Jordan Smith and Matt Nixon set the pace with matching seven-under 63s, Peter Whiteford fared best of the Scots with a 67 to sit in a tie for 13th.

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Jordan McColl, a member of the Kingsbarns Golf Academy stable, heads into the final round of the PGA EuroPro Tour’s Cobra Puma Championship sitting two shots off the lead.

McColl backed up an opening 68 at Hawkstone Park in Shropshire with a 66 - it was illuminated by an eagle at eighth - for an eight-under-par total to lie joint-fifth.

Blairgowrie’s Bradley Neil is a stroke further back after rounds of 67 and 68 while Falkirk’s Ryan Campbell (67-69) sits four off the pace, just ahead of John Henry (Clydebank and District) and Dunbar’s Neil Fenwick.

Welshman Matthew Moseley carded a second-round 62 to catapult him into a share of the lead with English trio Curtis Griffiths, Chris Lloyd and James Maw.

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Carnoustie veteran Fraser Mann and Montrose assistant pro Graeme Brown carded two-under 68s in testing conditions at Thornton to share the scratch spoils in the second Midland Alliance event of the season.

Edzell’s Gary Tough claimed the handicap honours with a net 68 playing off one.