NO DOUBTING THOMAS – HE’S UP
WITH FULFORD LEADERS ON MERIT

“Unknown” Eyemouth amateur Thomas Higson jumped into the golfing spotlight with a stunning round of four-under-par 68 in the first round of the PGA EuroPro Tour Qualifying School Stage 1 event at Fulford Golf Club, York.
Higson had birdies at the second, sixth, seventh, 11th, 14th and 18 and could afford the luxury of a double-bogey 6 at the 13th in halves of 33 (three under par) and 35 (one under).
For much of the day, Higson was three shots clear of the field. Then Irish professional Brendan McCarroll from Ballyliffin came in with a 66 to take over the pole position and Tom Maddison (Castle Eden) squeezed into second spot with a 67.
Another Scot, Paul Cormack from Banchory, where he is an assistant professional at the Inchmarlo Golf Centre, later joined Higson in third place on 68.
Cormack shrugged off a bogey at the first hole with birdies at the third, sixth and 11th before he dropped his only other shot a the 13th. Paul staged a grandstand finish with a birdie at the 17th and an eagle 3 at the 480yd 18th for 33 home.
ELLIOT SALTMAN BAD RUN
A better known Scottish amateur than Higson, Elliot Saltman from the Craigielaw club might well have been up there among the leaders but for a run of three holes which saw him not so much drop as cascade seven shots to par.
Elliot bogeyed the 13th, ran up a quadruple-bogey 7 at the short 14th and then a double bogey 6 at the 15th.
Incredibly the oldest of the three talented Saltman brothers escaped with a three-over-par 75, thanks to birdies at the eighth, 10th, 11th, 16th, 17th and 18th in halves of 37 and 38.
There are four PGA EuroPro Tour Q School Stage 1 events over 36 holes, the others taking place at Stoke by Nayland (Colchester), Beau Desert (Cannock) and The Bedford.
Leading scores
(all at par-72 venues):
FULFORD
66 B McCarroll (Ballyliffin).
67 T Maddison (Castle Eden).
68 T Higson (Eyemouth) (am), P Cormack (Inchmarlo).
71 M Stubbings (Dinsdale Spa), B O’Dell (Henley) (am), L Harper (Archerfield).
Other scores
72 R Gray (Torrance House).
73 C Campbell (Carnegie Club).
74 A Lockhart (Ladybank).
75 S Mann (Garmouth) (am), E Saltman (Craigielaw) (am), A Mackenzie (Liberton).
76 L Vannet (Carnoustie).
77 C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), D Roger (Windyhill).
78 H McAndrew (Marriott Dalmahoy) (am),I Simpson (Fulford).
79 G Page (Balbirnie Park) (am).
80 R Taylor (Downfield) (am).
83 G Watson (Scotland) (am).

THE BEDFORD
69 C Benians (England).
70 A Hay (Royal Winchester), S Cousins (England), P Coburn (Sandy Lodge), R Jones (Woodcote Park) (am), C Bowler (Southfield), J Corfield (Bearwood Lakes), P Ramirez (Spain), R Bury (East Sussex National), D Perez (Peterborough Milton).
Other score:
82 A Barton (Cowal) (am).