North of Open stroke-play for David Blair Trophy

MICHAEL BUCHAN (134) LEADS

BY FIVE AT HALFWAY STAGE

AT ROYAL DORNOCH

By ROBIN WILSON

Cruden Bay’s Michael Buchan, pictured right, kept up the momentum of his first-round 65 – only one stroke outside the Royal Dornoch course record – with a 69 for a six-under-par tally of 134 to lead to lead by five shots at the halfway stage of the North of Scotland open amateur stroke-play championship for the David Blair Trophy today.
Buchan coped a lot better than most of his rivals with a rising wind which saw him carry over a five-stroke lead from Mark Hillson (Craigielaw) into Sunday's final two rounds.
Buchan dropped just one shot to par, at the 17th, in his second circuit, which was no mean over a world-rated links that many feel is good enough to host the Open but is just that bit too far north.
Brought up in golfing terms on another classic links at Cruden Bay, Buchan got his birdies in an outward half of two-under-par 33, at the third and the ninth.
Graeme Mitchell (Braemar) had a hole in one at the sixth in his first-round 82. He didn’t get an ace in his second round but he was still able to improve by five shots for a 77 and 159, which was five too many to beat the halfway cut.

A total of 44 players with totals of 154 and better qualified for the final day.

One surprise No Return in the rising wind was former Scottish boys’ open stroke-play champion Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) who had a great run in the recent Scottish match-play championship at Prestwick. He had a first-round 77 which was by no means a bad score.

(SCROLL DOWN PAST THE SCORES FOR THE FIRST-ROUND STORY)

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 140 (2 x 70)
134 M Buchan (Cruden Bay) 65 69.
139 M Hillson (Craigielaw) 66 73.
140 R Carson (Dalmahoy) 67 73.
141 Z Saltman (Craigielaw) 71 70, G Campbell (Blairgowrie) 71 70, D Stewart (Grantown on Spey) 69 72, A Dick (Shotts) 70 71.
143 J White (Lundin) 70 73, S Hume (Murrayshall) 70 73.

144 P McLean (Peterhead) 69 75.

145 J Gunn (Royal Dornoch) 69 76.
147 P O’Hara (Colville Park) 70 77, A Main (Thornton) 74 73.
148 D Murray (Blairgowrie) 74 74, P Betty (Hayston) 71 77, K Nicholson (Haddington) 74 74, G Dear (Murrayshall) 74 74.
149 S McEwan (Caprington) 72 77, G Murray (Cullen) 74 75, K Nicol (Fraserburgh) 75 74.
150 M Ferries (Tain) 69 81, I Rennie (Royal Dornoch) 74 76, G Yates (Hilton Park) 73 77, D Gould (Ladybank) 74 76.
151 S Dingwall (Muir of Ord) 69 82, B Fotheringham (Forres) 73 78, A Howard (Murrayshall) 70 81, N Howitt (Nairn)72 79..
152 A Everett (Tain) 75 77, S Robertson (Sandyhills) 76 76, M Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar) 72 80.
153 A Gilmour (Invergordon) 71 82, C Gaittens (Fortrose & Rosemarkie) 77 76, M MacDonald (Fortrose & Rosemarkie) 74 79, C Mailley (Royal Dornoch) 76 77, E Polson (Inverness) 76 77, G Thomson (Moray) 78 75, J Duff (Newmachar) 73 80, S Fraser (Royal Aberdeen) 79 74.
154 J Brownlee (Craigielaw) 77 77, J Forbes (Inverness) 75 79, B Ferries (Tain) 78 76, D McIntosh (Nairn) 75 79, B McDermott (Leven GS) 73 81.

MISSED THE CUT
155 S Borrowman (Dollar) 76 79, C Harkins (Ayr Belleisle) 78 77, B McDermott (Leven GS) 73 81, G Stewart (Murcar Links) 76 79.

157 G Robertson (Silverknowes) 73 84, N Sadler (Murcar Links) 78 79, D Thorburn (Thurso) 77 80.
158 S Mann (Garmouth & Kingston) 73 83, G Paterson (Northern) 77 81.
159 G Brass (Blairgowrie) 76 83, G Mitchell (Braemar) 82 77, G Angus (Duff House Royal) 75 84, M Murray (Brora) 74 85, R Elder (Nairn Dunbar) 77 82, J Broadley (Deeside) 74 85.
160 J S Knowles (Kingsknowe) 82 78, R MacLeod (Tain) 81 79.
161 R Hyland (Hazlehead) 77 84, M Robson (Kngsknowe) 78 83.
162 D Chalmers (Royal Dornoch) 80 82, G Blair (Haddington) 77 85, R Cameron (Inverness) 80 82.
168 B Spoor (Westhill) 78 90.

174 K Gaittens (Fortrose & Rosemarkie) 87 87.
Retired – F Henderson (Craigielaw), J Lockie (Tantallon) 83 -.
No Returns – S Michie (Thornton) NR, L Miller (Cawder) 75 NR, S McAllister (Craigielaw) 77 NR, Jonathan Findlay (Fraserburgh) 80 NR, I MacMillan (Glenearn) 76 NR.

NEWS OF THE FIRST ROUND SCORES

Michael Buchan recovered from a bogey 4 at the short second hole to birdie the third, sixth and ninth in an outward half of three-under-par 33. The North-east District team player maintained his momentum to get further birdies at the 10th, 12th and 15th in a bogey-free inward half of 32.
But that very good round did not put him clear of the field.
Mark Hillson from Craigielaw was snapping at his heels with halves of 33 for a 66 and another Lothians player, Robert Carson, posted a 65 after going to the turn in 32 with birdies at the third, sixth and ninth.
Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey), who followed up his East of Scotland Open at Lundin Links by winning last week’s rain-shortened North-east District Open at Newmachar, gave himself a platform for another good weekend by returning a 69.
Stewart, recently returned from four successful years on the American college circuit as a Jacksonville University, Florida student, was out in one-over 36, having double-bogeyed the short second and dropped another shot at the eighth with birdies at the seventh and ninth recouping only two of these strokes.
But he reeled off seven pars and birides at the 10th and 12th for 33 home to signal his intent to be a contender yet again for another Scottish Golf Union Order of Merit tournament success.

Graeme Mitchell (Braemar) had a hole in one at the short sixth on his way to an 82.

FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 70. CSS 74
65 M Buchan (Cruden Bay).

66 M Hillson (Craigielaw).
67 R Carson (Dalmahoy).
69 J Gunn (Royal Dornoch), M Ferries (Tain), S Dingwall (Muir of Ord), D Stewart (Grantown on Spey), P McLean (Peterhead).

70 P O’Hara (Colville Park), J White (Lundin), A Howard (Murrayshall), S Hume (Murrayshall), A Dick (Shotts).
71 A Gilmour (Invergordon), G Campbell (Blairgowrie), Z Saltman (Craigielaw), P Betty (Hayston).
72 S McEwan (Caprington), N Howitt (Nairn), M Isaacs (Nairn Dunbar)..
73 B Fotheringham (Forres), G Yates (Hilton Park), B McDermott (Leven GS), J Duff (Newmachar). G Robertson (Silverknowes).

74 D Murray (Blairgowrie), G Murray (Cullen), I Rennie (Royal Dornoch), M MacDonald (Fortrose & Rosemarkie), K Nicholson (Haddington), M Murray (Brora), D Gould (Ladybank), G Dear (Murrayshall), J Broadley (Deeside), A Main (Thornton).
75 A Everett (Tain), L Miller (Cawder), I Angus (Duff House Royal), K Nicol (Fraserburgh), S Mann (Garmouth & Kingston), J Forbes (Inverness), D McIntosh (Nairn).
76 S Borrowman (Dollar), I MacMillan (Glenearn), C Mailley (Royal Dornoch), E Polson(Inverness), G Stewart (Murcar Links), S Robertson (Sandyhills).
77 S McAllister (Craigielaw), C Gaittens (Fortrose & Rosemarkie), J Brownlee (Craigielaw), G Blair (Haddington), R Hyland (Hazlehead), G Paterson (Northern), R Elder (Nairn Dunbar), D Thorburn (Thurso).
78 G Brass (Blairgowrie), B Spoor (Westhill), C Harkins (Ayr Belleisle), G Thomson (Moray), M Robson (Kingsknowe), B Ferries (Tain), N Sadler (Murcar Links).
79 S Fraser (Royal Aberdeen).
80 D Chalmers (Royal Dornoch), Jonathan Findlay (Fraserburgh), R Cameron (Inverness).
81 R MacLeod (Tain).
82 G Mitchell (Braemar), S Knowles (Kingsknowe).
83 J Lockie (Tantallon).
87 K Gaittens (Fortrose & Rosemarkie).
Retired – F Henderson (Craigielaw).
No Return – S Michie (Thornton).