Scottish golfer on shortlist for Jack Nicklaus Award in US

Sandy Scott has become the second Scottish golfer this year to be nominated for an award bearing the name of one of the legends of the game.

A string of strong performances on the US college circuit, including a recent victory, has earned the Texas Tech junior a place on the shortlist for the 2019 Division I Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award.

Scott, a Nairn member and one of six Scottish players named recently in an initial Great Britain & Ireland squad for this year’s Walker Cup, is currently 13th in the Golfstat rankings in the US.

He has chalked up six top-ten finishes, including that breakthrough victory in last month’s El Macero Classic, which he followed by claiming fifth spot in the Big 12 Conference Championship The Greenbrier.

Nicklaus Award recipients will be announced on 30 May, with the honour presented by the 18-time major winner during the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village.

Scott’s rivals for the Division 1 prize include Norwegian Viktor Hovland, who finished as leading amateur in this year’s Masters and the current world No 1.

Last month, Scott’s fellow internationalist, Ryan Lumsden, won the Byron Nelson Award – the first GB&I player to receive the coveted prize from the Golf Coaches Association of America.

Lumsden, who is at Northwestern University in Illinois, was selected as this year’s recipient on the strength of his entire collegiate academic and golf career.

l Former European Tour player Alastair Forsyth shot rounds of 67-65 for a 12-under-par total to win a 36-hole Tartan Tour event by two shots at Stirling.