Golf: Mathieson takes early lead

Dunbar professional Terry Mathieson returned to Murcar Links, his old stamping ground as an amateur, to post a 69, two under par, in bright but breezy conditions to lead at the end of the first day of the Scottish Golfers' Alliance Championship.

At the slightly shorter Newburgh-on-Ythan course, with a par of 72, two amateurs, Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) and Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon), shared the lead on the 70 mark.

Murcar Links, off the championship tees with the strong wind in the players' faces when they turned for home, sorted out the men from the boys.

"I'd forgotten how strong the wind was on North-east links courses," said Mathieson. "But local knowledge certainly helped me a lot."

Mathieson was able to reach the turn in one-under-par 35, despite a double bogey 6 at the sixth where he was bunkered and then three-putted. An eagle 3 at the long fourth and a birdie at the ninth more than compensated.

He drove the 11th green (367yds) downwind and two-putted for the first of three birdies on the homeward stretch. A six-iron at the short 12th set up a one-putt birdie and he got another birdie 2 at the 16th. Battling into the wind, he had bogeys at the 13th and 14th in an inward half of one-under 34.

At Newburgh-on-Ythan, Findlay, beaten finalist in the Scottish Amateur Championship this year at Gullane, birdied the seventh, ninth, tenth and 13th for his 70, dropping shots at the 16th and 18th in halves of 34 and 36. Duncan was two ahead of Findlay with 32 to the turn, including an eagle 2 at the seventh, but he needed 38 shots to come home.