ROOKIE GEORGE MURRAY TOP

SCOT IN CHALLENGE TOUR

EVENT AT WORSLEY PARK

Rookie tour pro George Murray (pictured right) from Anstruther, a former Scottish amateur champion, was the top Scot in joint seventh place at the end of a day of low scoring in the European Challenge Tour event, the Oceanico Developments Pro-Am Challenge, at Marriott Worsley Park Hotel & Country Club, Greater Manchester today.
Late finisher Murray – he was out on the course for well over five hours, had a four-under-par 66. Starting at the 10th, he had birdies at the 12th, 14th, first, second and fifth and a solitary bogey at the 18th.
George could only par his last four holes when a birdie or two would have got him closer to the leader, Frenchman Michael Lorenzo-Vera who had a dream round of nine-under-par 61, made up of an eagle and seven birdies..
Another former Scottish amateur champion, Andrew McArthur from Windyhll, posted a three-under-par 67 to be in joint 16th place with birdies at the second, fifth, 12th, 15th and 17th and bogeys at the sixth and 11th in halves of 34 and 33.

Carnoustie’s Eric Ramsay and one time PGA champion Andrew Oldcorn from Edinburgh are in joint 27th place with a 68. Oldcorn had birdies at the first, fifth, 15th and 17th in halves of 33 and 35.
Ramsay started at the 10th and had birdies at the 10th, fourth, fifth and sixth against bogeys at the 16th and first in reversed halves of 35 and 33.
Former Northern Open champion Chris Doak had a 69 with birdies at the second, ninth, 13th and 16th. He bogeyed the first , a 15th and 18th in halves of 34 and 35.

Euan Little had a 72 (36-36) with only one birdie, at the 17th.
Jamie McLeary did well in a way to “escape” with a 72 after marking up a quadruple bogey 8 at the eighth. Out in 39, he came home in 33 with birdies at the 12th and 17th.

New Northern Open champion Murray Urquhart from Inverness had a three-over-par 73 with a birdie at the sixth but bogeys at the fourth, eighth, ninth and 18th in halves of 37 and 36.

West Linton-based Welshman Gareth Wright had a 67, thanks to an eagle 3 at the fifth and birdies at the sixth, 10th, 12th and 13th in halves of 33 and 34. Fifer Peter Whiteford's 71 had birdies at the fourth and 17th but bogeys at the seventh, eighth and 14th.

Aberdonian Scott Henderson ran up a double bogey 6 at the eight, then bogeys at the ninth, 10th and 18th in halves of 37 and 35 for a 72. He birdied the sixth, the short 11th and long 13th.

FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 70
61 Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra).

64 Tim Dykes (Wal), Stuart Davis (Eng).
65 Pontus Ericsson (Swe), James H Williams (Wal), David Horsey (Eng) (am).
66 Gary Clark (Eng), Paul Dwyer (Eng), David Higgins (Ire), Ross McGowan (Eng), Klas Eriksson (Swe), Michiel Bothma (SAf), Paul Eagles (Eng), Neil Cheetham (Eng), George Murray (Sco) 32-34.
Other scores:
67 Andrew McArthur (Windyhill) 34-33, Gareth Wright (West Linton) 33-34.
68 Robert Dinwiddie (Eng), Andrew Oldcorn (Sco) 33-35, Eric Ramsay (Sco) 33-35.
69 Chris Doak (Sco) 34-35, Jack Doherty (Sco) 34-35.
71 Peter Whiteford (Sco) 36-35.
72 Euan Little (Sco) 36-36, Scott Henderson (King's Links) 37-35, Jamie McLeary (Sco) 39-33.
73 Murray Urquhart (Inverness) 37-36.