Tartan trio safely through in Super 6 event in Australia

Big-hitting Belgian is among four players sharing the lead after two rounds in the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth event. Picture: Getty Images

Maintaining his impressive start on the European Tour, left-hander MacIntyre progressed to the third round in joint-fifth on the back of a five-under 67 at Lake Karrinyup.

Containing an eagle and four birdies, that left the 22-year-old sitting on seven-under and on course to be among the 24 players involved in a final day on Sunday consisting of six-hole match-play ties.

It’s the sixth successive cut MacIntyre has made and seventh in eight events so far in his rookie season on the circuit after graduating from the Challenge Tour.

Forrest and Syme also stepped up their bids to make it to the concluding phase in the innovative event after signing for 65 and 67 respectively on day two in Western Australia.

Another of the Scottish newcomers this season, Forrest carded an eagle and five birdies in a bogey-free effort that left him tied for 13th on five-under.

Syme, who narrowly missed out on retaining his card following a promising first season last year, is a shot back after signing for five birdies in another bogey-free round.

Two of the biggest-hitters on the circuit - Belgian Thomas Pieters and Kiwi Ryan Fox - share the lead with Australia’s Matthew Griffin and Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand on eight-under.

Belgian Pieters, who secured the ISPS Handa Melbourne World Cup of Golf alongside Thomas Detry on his last visit to Australia, has some match play pedigree, having claimed four points on his Ryder Cup debut in 2016.

“People can shoot low tomorrow and the cut-off for 24th place could be six, seven under,” said Pieters. “So maybe I’m a couple shots in, but if you get careless, then I think you can drop a lot of spots easily.

“I think I’m going to go out there tomorrow and act like it’s a stroke play event, and you always want to be in the first place. If you’re not, I don’t think you’re mentally taking it the right way.”

Fox, who lost to Russell Knox in a play-off in last year’s Irish Open, missed out on the match play stages after losing in a play-off at Lake Karrinyup in 2017 and finished a shot out of the play-off 12 months ago.

“The last couple years I’ve eyed that top 24 from sort of around the morning and it hasn’t worked out very well for me,” he said.

“I’ll try to aim a little higher this year and see what happens. It looks like it might blow tomorrow afternoon as well, so might be a case of just trying to hang on.

Englishman Richard McEvoy, winner of the 2017 SSE Scottish Hydro Challenge in Aviemore, is alongside Robert Macintyre and Australian Matt Jager.

Richie Ramsay agonisingly missed the cut by the shot after doing his best to try and repair the damage caused by an opening 77 as he bounced back with a 67.

A second-round 80 left David Law, last week’s Vic Open winner, also making an early exit along with David Drysdale, Liam Johnston and Ewen Ferguson.