Tough ask for Scots to catch France

Scotland have moved up to second place in a field of 26 teams with one round to go in the PGAs of Europe international championship over the Vale do Lobo Ocean Course on Portugal’s Algarve coastline.

But Jim McKinnon (Irvine), Ladybank’s Alan Lockhart and Chris Currie (Caldwell) have five shots to make up on leaders France – a tall order, even under the two-from-three scores to count format. France, represented by club pros Benjamin Nicolay 68, Stephane Lahary 70 and Bertrand Cornut 72 (non-counting), had a third-round team total of six-under 138 yesterday to take up the outright pole position on 14-under 418.

Scotland, with Currie having his first counting round of the event, a two-under 70, and McKinnon chipping in with a 71, added 141 to their score to be on nine-under 423. After two 70s, Lockhart sagged to a 77.

The Scots are shot ahead of third-placed England (Craig Goodfellow 69, Gary Brown 72 and Chris Gill a non-counting 78). Ireland (David Ryan 72, John Kelly 75 and Eamonn Brady a non-counting 83) dropped back to seventh place on 429 after a third-round score of 147.

Wales (Andrew Barnett 71, Simon Edwards 73 and Matthew Parsley a non-counting 89) are 11th on 439 with a 143 addition.

Meanwhile, Strathaven, represented by Stuart Kerr and Jim Preston, were eighth in the final of the Lombard Challenge, a PGA event involving club pros and captains. They carded rounds of 68 and 70 at Antalya Golf Club’s PGA Sultan Course to finish four-under-par in the £25,000 betterball event. It was won by Dukinfield’s David Green and Steve Warburton on 13-under-par after rounds of 64 and 65.