Lorna McClymont shares lead in Scottish Women's Open at Troon

Milngavie’s Lorna McClymont shares the lead with Swede Elin Pudas Remler heading into the final round of the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open at Troon.

Milngavie's Lorna McClymont in action in the Helen Holm Scottish Women's Open at Troon Portland. Picture: Scottish Golf.

After two challenging circuits over the Portland course in windy conditions, McClymont and Pudas Remler are locked together on level-par, one shot ahead of England’s Luca Thompson.

Overnight leader Jasmine Mackintosh sits one stroke further back as the event’s 50th anniversary edition heads for an exciting conclusion in the final circuit over Royal Troon.

McClymont, who recently claimed her second successive R&A Student Tour Order of Merit title flying the Stirling flag, started her day with back-to-back bogeys on the Ayrshire coast. She then followed a birdie-2 at the eighth by giving that back two holes later before signing off with a birdie-4 for the second day running.

It was another solid day’s work as she bids to keep the title in home hands after North Berwick’s Grace Crawford, landing the first Scottish success since Heather Stirling in 2002, triumphed 12 months ago.

After dropping five shots in the first six holes, Pudas Remler received her hopes with a late three-birdie burst while Thompson mixed three birdies with one bogey over the closing stretch.

Murcar Links player Mackintosh, who’d opened with a 69, had two double-bogeys as she went out on 40 before steadying the ship by coming home in level par.

Blairgowrie’s Megan Ashley (74) sits joint-fifth on three-over, with two other Scots - Auchterarder’s Penelope Brown and Jen Saxton of Dunfermline - two shots further back but also in the top ten.

Meanwhile, Schloss Roxburghe member Jack McDonald produced two outstanding efforts on the opening day of the Battle Trophy at Crail Golfing Society.

In morning conditions described as “brutal”, the Borders man opened with a splendid 73, starting eagle-par-birdie, before adding an equally-impressive 74 to lead heading into the final 36 holes on Sunday.

He holds a one-shot advantage over Jack Brooks, who opened with a 79 but then trimmed ten shots off that with his afternoon effort as the wind dropped.

Three host club members - Andrew Davidson, Fraser Carr and Alistair Scott – made the cut, as did former Crail member George Burns, who landed the Scottish Amateur Championship over the Craighead Links in 2019.

Elsewhere, halfway leaders Scotland had to settle for fourth spot, eight shots behind winners England in the European Nations Cup at Sotogrande in Spain. Gregor Tait, joint-11th, finished as the top Scot in the individual standings.