Uncapped Scot reached last four of Spanish open amateur

ELLIOT SALTMAN'S
GLORY RUN ENDS
IN DEFEAT BY TOP

SEED IN SEMI-FINAL

Craigielaw's uncapped Elliot Saltman was beaten in the semi-finals of the Spanish men's open amateur golf championship at Desert Springs Golf Resort today.
Saltman, the only Scot to figure among the 32 qualifiers for the match-play stages in 13th place, lost by 2 and 1 to the leading qualifier, John Parry from Harrogate.
In the morning quarter-finals, Elliot, pictured left, the oldest of three talented golfing brothers - Walker Cup man Lloyd and world hickory champion Zack - beat the No 5 seed, England's Paul Waring, by 5 and 4 to reach the last four.
Perhaps Elliot, who has a +3 handicap and finished sixth in the Scottish Golf Union Order of Merit last year, has done enough to be considered for a first Scotland cap this season. Elliot, who will be 25 on March 24, says his ambition is to be a successful tour pro.
In Sunday's 36-hole final, Parry will play the 15th qualifier, Baptiste Chapellan from France. He will be bidding to following in the footsteps of another young Englishman, Sam Hutsby, who won the title last year by beating the then US men's amateur champion, Edoardo Molinari (Italy) by a big margin in the final.
Results:
Quarter-finals - J Parry (Eng) v M Veijalainen (Fin) 4 and 3, E Saltman (Sco) bt P Waring (Eng) 5 and 4, P Figueiredo (Por) bt G Boyd (Eng) 4 and 3, B Chapellan (Fra) bt B Evans (Eng) 1 hole.
Semi-finals - Parry bt Saltman 2 and 1, Chapellan bt Figueiredo 2 and 1.