8am Round-Up: More than 10,000 attend Scottish Open on day one

American ace Rickie Fowler is one of the star attractions at this week's Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Dundonald Links. Picture: Getty Images

The official total for the opening round was 10,545, taking the overall figure to 16,842 after just 6,000 spectators turned up for Wednesday’s pro-am.

The attendance for the £5.5 million event’s first visit to the west of Scotland venue is being watched closely for two different reasons.

The first is to see how it compares to last year’s staging at Castle Stuart, where a total of 41,809 was disappointing.

That represented a sharp decline on the 2012 and 2013 stagings at the Highlands venue, where the totals were 63,363 and 65,528 respectively.

The figure at Royal Aberdeen in 2014 was 65,833 while at Gullane the following year it was 63,030.

In 2009 at Loch Lomond, where the event proved hugely popular, the attendance was as high as 85,921.

The second reason is that, with the Irish Open having moved to the slot before its Scottish equivalent, the figures in those two events are going to be interesting to see.

Already, the Scottish Open is trailing by a fair bit, with more than 30,000 having been at Portstewart last week for just the pro-am and the first round.

The overall figure there ended up at an impressive 92,534.

***

Catriona Matthew and Carly Booth are among the players still to complete their opening rounds in the US Women’s Open after a weather delay at Trum National Golf Club in New Jersey.

Kelsey MacDonald, the third Scot in the field, got finished, signing for an 81, but both Matthew and Booth face an early return today at the Bedminster venue.

Scottish No 1 Matthew is level-par after 16 holes while Booth is four-over with five holes to play.

MacDonald, making her second appearance in the event, is tied for 155th after running up a triple-bogey 7 and quadruple-bogey 8 in her round.

China’s Shanshan Fweng leads in the clubhouse after a bogey-free six-under 66, the world No 6 sitting a shot ahead of Amy Yang, with world No 1 So Yeon Ryu a further shot adrift in third along with Lydia Ko.

Edinburgh-based American Beth Allen had a three-over 75.

***

Chasing a spot in next week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, Ollie Schniederjans is sharing the lead after the opening round of the John Deere Classic.

His opening eight-under 63 was matched by Charles Howell III, who has already secured his spot in the Claret Jug joust.

Zach Johnson, the 2015 Open champion, is among four players a shot off the lead.

***

Colin Montgomerie is seven shors off the lead after the first round of the Constellation Senior Players Championship in Baltimore.

It follows the three-time Senior major winner opening with a one-under 71 on a day when Larry Mize set the pace with a 64.

The American leads by a shot from compatriots Corey Pavin and Steve Flesch, as well as German Bernhard Langer.

Ian Woosnam is handily placed after a 67, one less than Senior Open champion Paul Broadhurst and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

***

On-form Bradley Neil is off to a good star in the Italian Challenge Open by Lyoness.

Taking up where he left off after finishing second in the Czech Republic last week, the Blairgowrie star opened with a six-under 65, which included nine birdies.

Neil sits joint-fifth, two shots behind Swede Oscar Stark and Welshman Oliver Farr.

Peter Whiteford next best Scot on 67, just ahead of Craig Lee

***

Jimmy Gunn opened with two-under-par 69 to sit tied for 77th, seven shots behind joint-pacesetters James Driscoll and Matt Atkins, in the Utah Championsip on the Web.com Tour

***

Scotland’s bid for a record-equalling title hat-trick in the European Men’s Team Championship has been foiled.

They lost 4-3 to Sweden at the Diamond Resort in Austria, where Royal Wimbledon’s Ryan Lumsden went down on the last green in the decider.

***

Nairn’s Calum Scott completed an impressive wire-to-wire win in the Global Golf Post Scottish Under-16 Boys Open Championship.

The 13-year-old, younger brother of Scottish Open qualifier Sandy, closed with a 70 for an eight-under 276 total at Fairmont St Andrews.

Scott beat an international field by four shots, with Joshua Greer (Australia) and Thomas Burou (France) sharing second spot.