SECOND ROUND REDUCED TO ONLY 10 HOLES

McALPINE LEADS BY TWO WITH

A FIRST-ROUND 63 AT

CRAIGMILLAR PARK OPEN

Scottish amateur match-play golf champion Kevin McAlpine from Alyth surged two shots clear of the field after 18 holes of the fog-shortened Craigmillar Park Open at the Edinburgh venue today (Saturday).

Fog delayed the start for 2 1/2hr until 9.30am which meant there was not enough time for all of the field to complete two rounds in good light.

The organisers decided to shorten the second round to `10 holes and to make the cut to the leading 30 players and ties on 28-hole scores.

\McAlpine, who played four years on the American college circuit as a student at Colorado State University, has +4 of a handicap and proved in winning the North of District Open last year that he is just as skilled at the card-and-pencil discipline as he is at the match-play.

The 23-year-old son of former Dundee United goalkeeper Hamish McAlp;ine, Kevin packed nine birdies into a seven-under-par 63 over the fast-running parkland course. He birdied the second, third, eighth, ninth, 10^th, 13^th, 14^th, 17^th and 18^th in halves of 32 (three under par) and 31 (four under par).

"I played well but, like every good round, it could have been even better," said Kevin. " I made a couple of silly mistakes. I drove out of bounds at the sixth but escaped with a bogey 5 and missed the green from only about 120yd at the 12^th for my second bogey of the round."

John Gallagher (Swanston), the cack-handed winner of the Craigmillar Park Open in 2005, had to retire during the round. He aggravated a nagging wrist injury in last weekend's Scottish champion of champions at Leven and it was touch and go whether he played or not this weekend. John started the round but it was soon evident that the pain was too great to continue.

Walker Cup player Lloyd Saltman from Craigielaw, winner of the Scottish champion of champions' title last weekend and bidding to become only the third player to pull off the big early season double on the Scottish amateur circuit, was three shots behind the pacemaking McAlpine with a four-under 66. Last year Lloyd missed the halfway cut.

Going into the 10-hole second round, McAlpine led by two strokes from David Miller (Kilmacolm), Craig Wilkinson (Blyth), Paul O'Hara (Colville Park) and Steven McEwan (Caprington).

Scores:

FIRST ROUND

Par 70

63 K McAlpine (Alyth).

65 D Miller (Kilmacolm), C Wilkinson (Blyth), P O'Hara (Colville Park), S McEwan (Caprington).

66 D Miller (Duddingston), C Watson (East Renfrewshire), R Kellett (Colville Park), L Saltman (Craigielaw), S Henry (Cardross).

67 B Edmond (Bon Accord), G Dear (Murrayshall), A Lynch (Glenbervie).

68 P McLean (Peterhead).

69 M Kerr (Craigielaw), K Nicol (Fraserburgh).

70 K McNicoll (Carnoustie), G Campbell (Blairgowrie), P Betty (Hayston), A Culverwell (Dunbar), R Bell (Downfield), G Mitchell (Northern).

71 C Heslip (Monifieth), S Armstrong (Turnhouse), R Noon (Longniddry), D Martin (Alyth), B Soutar (Leven GS), S Hume (Murrayshall), S Knowles (Kingsknowe), K Mail (Craigmillar Park), D Yeats (Newmachar), M Cameron (Alyth), T Mathieson (Murcar Links), J King (Glasgow), S Borrowman (Dollar), G Robertson (Silverknowes).

72 C Swanston (Uphall), A Anderson (Bruntsfield Links), I Munro (Stirling), D Henderson (Hamilton).

73 K Young (Glencorse), S Wilson (Forfar), C Colraine (Windyhill), M Greig (Bon Accord), Z Saltman (Craigielaw), A Main (Thornton), R Anderson (Duddingston), B Fotheringham (Forres), G Paterson (St Andrews New), J Neilson (Craigmillar Park), R McKnight (Barassie).

74 K Smyth (Windyhill), I Colquhoun (Ranfurly Castle), K Hamilton (Whitecraigs), S Graham (Blairgowrie), K Reilly (Silverknowes), S McAllister (Craigielaw), B Young (Harrison), M Main (Thornton, C Harper (Lenzie).

75 M Clarke (Kilmacolm), S Mann (Carnoustie), G Finlay (Ballumbie Castle), B Moore (Largs).

76 A Aitlafkih (Ivory Coast), D Hulston (Dollar)

77 J White jun (Lundin), B Scott (Dumfries & Galloway).

79 G Robertson (Ravenspark).

80 G Thomson (Moray), D Gillespie (Craigmillar Park).

81 S McGarvey (Glencorse), D Elder (Carnoustie).

+J Gallagher (Swanston), M Buchan (Cruden Bay), G Stevenson (Whitecraigs) retired during first round; B Scott withdrew after first round.