Andrew Sullivan hits the front in Blairgowrie but error costs him record

Andrew Sullivan threatened to demolish the Blairgowrie Lansdowne course record until a late error cost him a two-shot penalty but the Englishman still had enough in reserve to take charge of the Carrick Neill Scottish Open Strokeplay Championship.

The 24-year-old Walker Cup hopeful from Nuneaton took advantage of the inviting early morning conditions and carved out a seven-under 65 to finish two shots ahead of Lundin's James White.

An eagle on the first provided the catalyst for a superbly assembled round but having covered 16 holes in eight-under, Sullivan put his drive on 17 into the trees, hacked the wrong ball out and incurred the penalty.

He went on to hole a monstrous 40-footer on the green to salvage a bogey-six but, without his error, the world No?15 could have signed for a 63, one shot lower than the current Lansdowne record.

"The ball I found under the tree was exactly the same make and number but after I'd hit it I realised it had a green mark on the other side of it and it wasn't mine," said Sullivan.

"It was an error on my part but I showed a bit of mental toughness with that putt so it could've been much worse." White, the former Scottish Boys' champion, thrust himself into early contention with a tidy five-under 67 that was illuminated by four birdies in a row from the fifth.

"This is not really a bomber's course," said White. "It can be quite tight and I managed my game very well."

Paul Shields, runner-up in the South African Open Matchplay earlier this season, joined a posse of players on 69 while former Scottish champion Glenn Campbell, a member at Blairgowrie for 30 years and the holder of the Lansdowne course record of 64, opened with a neat 70.