Scottish Under-18 boys' stroke-play championship

CLASSY BYRNE GOES CLEAR

AT CARDRONA

Banchory’s world-ranked teenager James Byrne looked a cut above the field in the first round of the Scottish boys’ open amateur stroke-play golf championship at Cardrona, near Peebles today.
Byrne, who leaves for the United States and a four-year golf scholarship at Arizona State University on August 12, posted a top-class round of five-under-par 67 with seven birdies and a couple of bogeys.
For a spell James, runner-up in the Scottish men’s amateur open stroke-play championship at Royal Dornoch a few weeks ago, led the field of Under-18s by four shots.
Then Chris Gaittens (Fortrose & Rosemarkie) and Winterfield’s Graham Davidson came in with a pair of 69s to slash the Byrne lead in this 72-hole event to two strokes. Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) joined them on the 69 mark late in the day. After birdieing the fifth, seventh, 15th and 17th, Michael three-putted the last for his only bogey in halves of 34 and 35.
Byrne, out in one-under-par 35 and home in four-under 32, crammed most of his birdies into a purple patch between the 10th and 15th –six holes in which he had five birdies.
Davidson matched Byrne’s bag of seven birdies but made more mistakes, bogeyng the seventh, ninth, 10th, 13th and 18th in halves of 34 and 35.
Highlander Gaittens bogeyed the second and the 16th. In between, he was four under par for the 13 holes with birdies at the fifth, sixth, eighth, 12th and 15th.
Sam McLaren (King James VI), last year’s Scottish Under-16s champion, had an eagle at the 12th and birdies at the third, ninth, 10th and 14th in halves of 37 and 33 to take up third place on 70.
Not everybody in the big field found it so easy, relatively speaking. William Bremner, beaten finalist in the Scottish boys’ match-play championship at Dunbar in April and another who is bound for an American college next month, had double bogeys at the third, sixth and eighth in taking 42 shots to the turn. He birdied the 12th and 14th but “lost it” again with bogeys at the 16th and 18th for a 78.

LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
67 J Byrne (Banchory).
69 C Gaittens (Fortrose& Rosemarkie), G Davidson (Winterfield), M Stewart (Troon Welbeck).
70 S McLaren (King James VI), M Kelly Kirkhill)..
71 A Wallace (Glenbervie), R McGrory (West Hove), N Henderson (Glen), C Green (US).
72 P Neil (Craigielaw), J Hendrick (Pollok), K McClung (Wigtownshire Co),
S Fraser (Royal Aberdeen), D Parlane (Helensburgh), G Torrie (Carnoustie), G McDougall (Bishopbriggs), S Binning (Ranfurly Castle).
73 M Cunningham (Longniddry), S Brown (Turnberry), K Smith (Barassie), F Fotheringham (Nairn), C Childs (US), D Grant (Renfrew), F Moore (Falkirk Tryst), D Harrison (Crieff), N Macandrew (Cullen), P Ferrier (Baberton), J Bradley (Paisley), C Wyper (Hayston), G Reid (Newbattle), C Thomson (East Renfrewshire).
74 M Main (Thornton), C Nelson (Douglas Park), A McLachlan (Bonnyton), T Blennerhassett (Dalmahoy), T Spencer (Inchmarlo), J Hunter (US), D Young (Craigie Hill), D Melville (Gullane), M Reid (Downfield).
75 A Murdoch (Stranraer), C Jess (Mid Sussex), I Finlay (St Andrews), R Storrier (Downfield), B Sloan (Hamilton), R Slatterley (Longniddry), B Jamieson (St Andrews New), P McPhee (King James VI), J Hamilton (NZ), C Jess (Mid Sussex), I Redford (King James VI).
76 E Brown (Barassie), L Adamson (Ganton), M Bonas (Pumpherston), F McKenna (Balmore), A Baillie (Elgin), G Wilson (Ladybank).
77 K Borggren (Swe), L Nielsen (Den), M Bookless (Sandyhills), M Daily (Erskine), A Quintero (US), G Hydbom (Swe), G Duncan (US), A Cappi (Loretto School), C Von Arentschilot (US), G Sorbie (Hamilton), K Harper (Carnoustie), F Clarke (Westhill), A Scotland (Alloa), S Stevens (Deeside), D Mellon (Carnoustie).
78 M Pennycott (Whiting Bay), A Forsythe (Caldwell), G Stirling (Caldwell), S Brown (Murcar Links), J Ross (Royal Burgess), D Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen), W Bremner (Edzell), J Binning (Ranfurly Castle), N Meyer (US), O Huish (Glen), R Docherty (Bearsden), L Jackson (West Hove), C Gray (West Kilbride), M Roos (West Kilbride), C Hogg (Bishopbriggs), S Thompson (St Andrews).
79 R Martin (US), A Potts (Berwick), R Elder (Nairn Dunbar), D Millar (Oldmeldrum).
80 D Ramsay (Elgin), C Corbett (Dumfries & Galloway), C Bryan (US), P Scanlan (Hamilton, J Caldwell (Greenock), D Liddle (Liberton), R Penny (Portlethen), C Ross (Northern), K Karlsson (Swe), D Ramsay (Elgin).
+++ The leading 40 players and ties at the end of the second round will contest the third and fourth rounds on Thursday.