Only three places in Carnoustie field available at each venue

ERIC RAMSAY ONLY SCOT WITH VERY

GOOD CHANCE IN OPEN QUALIFYING

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Open championship local final qualifying began today at four venues. The competitions are over 36 holes and are self-contained, i.e. only the THREE best scores from a field of 96 players at each venue will earn places in the starting field at Carnoustie a week on Thursday.
Remember, in 1999, Paul Lawrie came through the Final Qualifying at Downfield and went on to become Open champion at Carnoustie. He does not have to qualify this year. But there were about 15 to 20 qualifying places at each venue in those days.
The Open is not so "open" in 2007.

It will be interesting to see how many of those players who have no chance of making the top three unless they shot something in the order of 59 or 60, turn up to play a pointless second round on Tuesday.

Carnoustie's Eric Ramsay, pictured above, who has been playing on the Challenge Tour, is the only Scot with a very good chance of qualifying. He is sharing the lead with Zane Scotland on the four-under-par 66 mark at Panmure.
Prestwick tour pro Callum Nicoll had a 69 at this venue but, even with that, he starts the second and last round in joint 10th place. Fingers crossed for you Callum but three places means you cannot afford a single bogey and you will need a bag of birdies to boot.
Leading scores:

DOWNFIELD
Par 73
66 A Hodkinson (Hallowes) (am).
68 B Willman (Eng).
69 D Skinns (Torksey), S Dunlap (US).
70 B Grace (RSA), T Price (Aus).
71 N Jameson (Regents Park) (am), P Eales (Royal Lytham), M Mouland (unatt), F Pasqualucci (Ita), R Watkins (Bush Hill Park), J Conteh (Moor Park), M Andersson (Swe), D Higgins (Ire), J Bevan (Wessex), S Lilly (Wellingborough), D Brooks (Mill Hill).
72 L Saltman (Craigielaw) (am), G Hamerton (Pike Fold), I Winstanley (Formby) (am), S Drummond (unatt), S Cowle (Hoebridge), P Williamson (unatt), K Hutton (Downfield), S Cage (Cookridge Hall), G Cox (Warrington), C Mills (Vale of Glamorgan).
73 K Staunton (Woodcote Park), D Bacon (Kirby Muxloe), D Wright (Rowlands Castle) (am), B Ellison (Royal Blackheath), M Joy (Hazlemere) (am), P Simpson (West Berkshire), S Taylor (Shaw Hill), R Fenwick (Ifield), A Bradley (Doncaster), J Dale (Rochford) (am), R Coull (Edzell), A Swainsbury (Chart Hills) (am).
74 F McGuirk (Princes), N Turley (St Sofia), M Hillson (Craigielaw) (am), F Syme (Musselburgh) (am), D Sugrue (unatt) (am), J Barnes (Ashford) (am).
Other scores included:
75 C Campbell (Carnegie Skibo), G Hutcheon (Peterculter), J Findlay (Fraserburgh) (am).
76 S Struver (Ger).
77 G Turner (West Linton) (am), A Oldcorn (Kings Acre).

MONIFIETH
Par 71
64 D Wood (The Oxfordshire).
66 P Waring (Bromborough) (am).
67 L Matthews (Southerndown) (am), J Mason (Rotherham), C Bowler (Southfield).
68 S Richardson (Lee on the Solent), M Bradley (Chorley).
69 G Murray (Earlsferry Thistle), Guy Woodman (Stoke Park), J L Adarraga (Spa), Yasin Ali (Jebel Ali Resort), D Coupland (Boston) (am), D Willett (Rotherham) (am).
70 S Bell (Shipley) (am), M Ramsale (Formby), A McArthur (Windyhill), J Elson (Kenilworth), P-U Johansson (Swe), P Wesselingh (Kedleston Park).
71 S Hodgson (Sunningdale) (am), M O'Sullivan (Galway), J McCreadie (Buchanan Castle), R Smith (Sutton Coldfield), M Freeland (Wilwood), I Keenan (Royal Liverpool), L Walker (Dundalk), T Spence (Lindfield), S Griffiths (Wentworth), R Lee (Tyneside) (am), D Cowel (Billingham). J Hurst (Shaw Hill).
Other scores included:
73 D McIntosh (Elderslie), S Aird (Forres).
74 G McInnes (Murcar Links).
78 F McLaughlan (Bothwell Castle).
82 E Walker (Burntisland).
84 N Murray (Cruden Bay).

MONTROSE
Par 71
65 M Zions (Aus).
67 J Kehoe (Birr).
68 M Cort (Rothley Park), S McAnally (Orsett) (am), A Iurilli (Ita), J Abbott (Fynn Valley) (am).
69 I Lyner (Leicestershire), C Cousins (unatt), P Eastwood (Sundridge Park), P Golding (unatt), S Whiffin (Enfield).
70 S Mann (Carnoustie) (am), L Shepherd (Willow Valley), D Borrego (Spa), P Jenkinson (Penrith).
71 B Jones (Cuddinton) (am), I Ridgway (High Legh Park), P Tarver-Jones (Worthing) (am), R Wallis (Princes), D Shacklady (Mossock Hall), M Quiros (Spa), S Cairns (Westerwood), D Stewart (Grantown on Spey) (am).
Other scores included;
72 S Clark (Haggs Castle) (am), A Lockhart (Ladybank), M Loftus (Cowglen).
73 F Mann (Musselburgh), D Orr (East Renfrewshire).
78 B Fotheringham (Forres).
79 P Whiteford (Wellsgreen)l

PANMURE

Par 70

66 Z Scotland (Woodcote Park), E Ramsay (Carnoustie).

67 J E Hedin (Swe), K Harper (unatt), M Siem (Ger).

68 T Levet (Fra), S Parry (Bolton), R McEvoy (Thorpe Hall), P Jones (Canford Magna).

69 C Nicoll (Prestwick), A Marshall (unatt), W Barnes (Whittington Heath).

70 D Salisbury (unatt), C Scott (unatt), E Vernon (Burton on Trent), S Walk (NZ), M Sheppard (Fore Golf), I Garbutt (Meridien), D Patrick (unatt).

Other scores included:

72 A Purdie (Kingsbarns).

74 S Wilson (Forfar) (am).

76 D Sommerville (St Andrews) (am), C Macaulay (Tulliallan) (am).