Champion Paterson keeps defence alive

ABERDEEN'S George Paterson, the defending champion, qualified in joint eighth position for the match-play stages of the Scottish senior men's amateur stroke-play golf championship over the Montgomerie course, Kinross.

Northern Golf Club member Paterson, the winner at Newmachar 12 months ago, had steady rounds of 79 and 78 for 157 over two days of contrasting weather wind and rain for the first round when the CSS was 75 non-counting and bright sunshine for the second when the CSS came down to 74, two over par.

Paterson plays Jim Watt Edzell in the first round of the match-play today.

Scott MacDonald (Dunfermline), winner of the Scottish seniors' stroke-play title a couple of weeks ago, is still on course for the double. He qualified with ease on 157 (78-79) and plays David A Millar (St Andrews New).

The leading qualifier by six strokes was Colin Christy (Kilmacolm) with a pair of 74s for 148. The second and third seeds are Ian Taylor (Royal Burgess) (80-74) and Tony Stafford (Gleneagles) (77-77), both on 154. The competitor who actually had the lowest stroke-play aggregate, local man Richard Campbell (Kinross) with scores of 72 and 74 for 146, discovered, belatedly that he was not available to play in the later stages of the tournament.