Blairgowrie is arena for selection battle

The battle to impress the Walker Cup selectors continues this weekend in the Carrick Neill Scottish Open Strokeplay Championship over the Lansdowne course at Blairgowrie.

With Michael Stewart nursing a wrist injury - the Scottish and South African Amateur champion had been hoping to be back for this event but has been advised against it - and James Byrne still at college in the US, Ross Kellett and Kris Nicol, the two other Scots in the Great Britain & Ireland elite squad, will be eager to capitalise.

It is the international circuit's first visit to Scotland and Kellett and Nicol are looking to bolster their hopes of a place in the biennial showpiece against the US at Royal Aberdeen in September.

"It's good to know that the selectors are watching you as it shows you're doing well, rather than putting extra pressure on," said Kellett, who finished third in the strokeplay event as a junior in 2007. "Hopefully I can put four good rounds together this week and put in some good performances over the next few weeks with some other big events coming up."

"My first taste of contending in a big event was at the strokeplay back in 2007. I've also won an event at Blairgowrie, albeit on the Rosemount course, so it's nice to be going to a venue and an event where I have good memories."

Greg Paterson, who leads the SGU order of merit, and Gordon Stevenson, runner-up in the Irish Open earlier this month also compete in a strong field which includes a host of other Walker Cup candidates like Lytham Trophy champion Jack Senior and last weekend's Welsh Open Strokeplay winner Darren Wright.