Golf: Kerr offers £500 reward for return of his stolen clubs

Mark Kerr, who is hoping to play on the European Tour next season, has been left devastated by the theft from his car as it was parked outside his gran's home in Broomhouse.

The thieves took a Tour bag which has Kerr's name on it and everything that was in it, including wedges that have 'Kerzo', his nickname, stamped on them.

"It happened last Sunday night," he told the Evening News. "I parked my car outside my Gran's at 8.00pm, came back ten minutes later and they had gone. My car had been broken into.

"The police were informed but they have yet to locate them. They took my Tour bag, with my name on it, and in the bag I had my Titleist woods, ZB forged irons and four Vokey wedges with my nickname stamped on them.

Remarkably, Kerr, a trainee pro at Marriott Dalmahoy, managed to overcome the loss of his clubs to pass the first stage of the European Tour Qualifying School at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire last week.

He's now competing in the Aberdeen Asset Northern Open, which got underway today at Meldrum House outside Aberdeen, and has the Scottish PGA Championship coming up at Gleneagles.

"I am devastated as I have four big events coming up, so it's the worse possible timing," he added.

"I am desperate to get my clubs back and am offering a 500 reward for anyone that can help."

Kerr, a former Dispatch Trophy winner and Lothians Championship runner-up, used an old set of irons and borrowed drivers at Dundonald Links, where he was among eight Scots to progress to stage two of the Q-school marathon in Spain in November.

"It's good to get to the second stage and, with this being my fourth attempt at it, I feel a lot more confident than I have in previous years," he said.

"My game is pretty good at the moment and it would be nice to win one of the last two big events in Scotland."Obviously having missed the first half of the season these two events are massive and have a substantial amount of pressure attached to them.

"But I handled the pressure well last week so hopefully I can build some momentum and finish the season well."

Kerr, joint-fourth behind Craig Lee in last year's Northern Open at Spey Valley, heads a sizeable Lothians contingent in the field at Meldrum House this week.

It also includes David Patrick, who will be hoping to build on his successful defence of the Scottish Young Professionals' Championship, which he won at West Lothian last week.

Former Musselburgh professional Fraser Mann (2002) and Uphall's Gordon Law (2003) are among the former winners in the field, while the likes of Mark King (Kingsfield Golf Centre) and Braid Hills duo Colin Gillies and Paul McKechnie are also seasoned Northern Open campaigners.

But the 72-hole event provides a chance for others such as Neil Fenwick (Dunbar), Alan Mackay (Pumpherston), Ross Dixon (Renaissance Club), Owen Leslie (Craigentinny), Craig Gordon (Edinburgh Golf Centre), Scott Grieve (Turnhouse), Lee Harper (Archerfield Links), Alan Reid (West Lothian), Chris Russell (RAW Golf Design), Gareth Wright (West Linton), James McGhee (Turnhouse) and Mark Bruce (Gullane) to land their first major Tartan Tour triumph.