DINWIDDIE AND WHITEFORD FORGET
FRIENDSHIP WHEN CHIPS ARE DOWN

By Michael Gibbons
European Challenge Tour Press Officer

Robert Dinwiddie and Peter Whiteford will put their friendship to one side as they lock horns for the third round of the Scottish Challenge presented by Bank of Scotland Corporate.
The Englishman and the Scot share the lead on 11-under-par 133 at the Macdonald Cardrona Hotel Golf and Country Club, near Peebles, one clear of another Scot, Eric Ramsay, with Andrew McArthur also flying the Saltire with pride, having moved into a share of fourth place with Dutchman Joost Luiten on nine under at the halfway stage.
Dinwiddie and Whiteford have been living life almost in tandem for the past week. Both men missed the cut in Ireland seven days ago and spent their free weekend celebrating Whiteford’s 27th birthday and taking in a spot of fishing on the banks of Lough Ree.
Of the tournament leaders, it was Dinwiddie who made the biggest move of the day as he put on a tremendous display to set a course record of nine-under 63 at the Macdonald Cardrona Hotel Golf and Country Club.
The 24 year old was flawless as he racked up nine birdies in a fantastic performance.
He said: “That was the lowest round I have shot as a professional so I have got be happy with that. I played well, very steady from tee to green and gave myself a lot of chances and holed few nice putts so I am delighted – especially given the prize money that is on offer this week.
“I’m 37th on the Rankings at the moment so a good finish on Sunday would move me up a fair bit.”
Whiteford’s two scores of 66-67 are all the more remarkable because he achieved them without his own golf clubs, which were lost in Lisbon over five weeks ago and have yet to be found.
The Scot has been playing with an assortment of borrowed drivers, three-woods and irons as he looks to get his season on track after a miserable first half of the year.
“I am taking most of my chances out there,” said Whiteford. “I’m delighted with my position because I need a big week with the way my season has gone. I should be able too do that from here.
“I’m looking forward to playing with Dinwiddie on Saturday. He’s a good lad and we were actually fishing in Ireland last week when we both missed the cut, although I caught nothing – hopefully I’ll be better on the golf course this weekend.”
The leaders, of course, will have to keep one eye over their shoulders as well as on each other as the third round heats up, with 15 players within five strokes of the 11 under par lead.
Luiten is an obvious danger, the low scoring Dutchman having won twice already on the 2007 Challenge Tour and eyeing the third victory that would ensure him automatic promotion to The European Tour.
LEADING HALFWAY TOTALS
Par 144 (2 x 72). 6,990yd.
133 Peter Whiteford (Sco) 66 67; Robert Dinwiddie (Eng) 70 63;
134 Eric Ramsay (Sco) 66 68;
135 Andrew McArthur (Sco) 66 69; Joost Luiten (Ned) 69 66;
136 André Bossert (Sui) 68 68; John Mellor (Eng) 68 68; Jamie Donaldson (Wal) 68 68; David Patrick (Sco) 67 69; Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 70 66; Alvaro Velasco (Esp) 65 71; Duncan Stewart (Sco) (am) 68 68;
137 Christian Reimbold (Ger) 69 68; Hernan Rey (Arg) 66 71; Richie Ramsay (Sco) 67 70; Stuart Manley (Wal) 64 73; Matt Ford (Eng) 69 68; Raphaël De Sousa (Sui) 66 72;
138 Rolf Muntz (Ned) 70 68; 38 David Higgins (Irl) 69 69; Alvaro Salto (Esp) 70 68; Craig Williams (Wal) 67 71; Jean Hugo (Rsa) 71 67; Euan Little (Sco) 73 65; Peter Baker (Eng) 70 68; George Murray (Sco) 70 68; Inder Van Weerelt (Ned) 69 69;
139 Jan-Are Larsen (Nor) 65 74; Manuel Merizalde (Col) 68 71; Greig Hutcheon (Sco) 73 66; Ricardo Santos (Por) 68 71; Gareth Paddison (NZ) 70 69; Anders Schmidt Hansen (Den) 73 66; Van Phillips (Eng) 68 71; Kariem Baraka (Ger) 72 67 ; Scott Henderson (Sco) 68 71; Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 67 72; Jamie McLeary (Sco) 67 72; Liam Bond (Wal) 71 68; Gary Marks (Eng) 70 69; Dean Robertson (Sco) 70 69; Gareth Maybin (Nir) 68 71; Lloyd Saltman (Sco) (am) 70 69;
140 Mahal Pearce (Nzl) 70 70; David Dixon (Eng) 72 68; James H Williams (Wal) 71 69; Anthony Snobeck (Fra) 69 71; Chris Gane (Eng) 68 72; François Delamontagne (Fra) 68 72; Murray Urquhart (Sco) 68 72; Gustavo Rojas (Arg) 71 69; Carlos Del Moral (Esp) 70 70; Oskar Bergman (Swe) 71 69; Scott Jamieson (Sco) 73 67; Chris Kelly (Sco) 72 68; Kevin McAlpine (Sco) (am) 67 73;
141 James Ablett (Eng) 66 75; Gary Clark (Eng) 71 70; Paul Nilbrink (Nor) 72 69; ; Stuart Davis (Eng) 74 67; Jerome Theunis (Bel) 69 72; Julio Zapata (Arg) 72 69; Colm Moriarty (Irl) 69 72; Luis Claverie (Esp) 70 71; Stephen Scahill (Nzl) 71 70; François Calmels (Fra) 70 71; Adrien Mörk (Fra) 70 71; Peter Fowler (Aus) 68 73; Simon Thornton (Irl) 70 71;
142 Warren Bladon (Eng) 72 70; Andrew Butterfield (Eng) 74 68; Rodolfo Gonzalez (Arg) 72 70; Craig Lee (Sco) 71 71; Adam Frayne (Eng) 71 71; Raphaël Eyraud (Fra) 73 69; Raymond Russell (Sco) 71 71; Leif Westerberg (Swe) 72 70; Antti Ahokas (Fin) 70 72; Julien Guerrier (Fra) 69 73; Johan Sköld (Swe) 74 68; Elliot Saltman (Sco) 73 69; Fredrik Widmark (Swe) 67 75; Benjamin Miarka (Ger) 70 72.
143 Mikko Korhonen (Fin) 71 72; Benoit Teilleria (Fra) 71 72; Mickael Dieu (Fra) 75 68; Tim ; Milford (Eng) 72 71; Scott Strange (Aus) 72 71; Alessio Bruschi (Ita) 71 72; Niki Zitny (Aut) 73 70; Keir McNicoll (Sco) (am) 69 74;
144 Ross Mcgowan (Eng) 71 73; Chris Doak (Sco) 72 72; Callum Nicoll (Sco) 72 72; on Bevitt (Eng) 70 74; Craig Smith (Wal) 75 69; Jonathan Lomas (Eng) 70 74; Stephen Browne (Irl) 71 73; Magnus Persson (Swe) 72 72; Paul Doherty (Sco) 74 70; Edward Thomson (Sco) 73 71; Mark Sheppard (Wal) 74 70; Mark F Haastrup (Den) 73 71; Jack Doherty (Sco) 68 76; Didier De Vooght (Bel) 74 70;
145 Sébastien Delagrange (Fra) 72 73; Michael Hoey (Nir) 74 71; Thomas Nielsen (Den) 74 71; John Wade (Aus) 73 72; Gareth Wright (Wal) 73 72; Robert Coles (Eng) 70 75; Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 73 72; Mark Laskey (Wal) 73 72; Graeme Brown (Sco) 78 67; Olivier David (Fra) 72 73; Jamie Little (Eng) 70 75.
146 Miguel Rodriguez (Arg) 70 76; Francis Valera (Esp) 74 72; Andrew Oldcorn (Sco) 74 72; Graham Gordon (Sco) 75 71; Pablo Herreria (Esp) 72 74; Julien Foret (Fra) 74 72; Phil Worthington (Eng) 73 73; Denny Lucas (Eng) 72 74; Callum Macaulay (Sco) (am) 75 71.
147 Peter Kaensche (Nor) 76 71; Ben Mason (Eng) 74 73; Marco Crespi (Ita) 73 74; Toni Karjalainen (Fin) 75 72; Alasdair Hay (Sco) 77 70; Steven Lamb (Sco) 73 74; Julien Van Hauwe (Fra) 74 73.
148 Klas Eriksson (Swe) 75 73; Carlos Balmaseda (Esp) 72 76; Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 78 70; Tim Dykes (Wal) 75 73; Ally Mellor (Eng) 74 74.
149 Jordi G Del Moral (Esp) 73 76; Matthew Cort (Eng) 74 75; Richard O'Hanlon (Eng) 73 76; Cédric Menut (Fra) 74 75; Daniel De Leon (Mex) 72 77; Roope Kakko (Fin) 72 77; Nicolas Vanhootegem (Bel) 73 76; Simon Hurd (Eng) 75 74.
150 Pablo Del Grosso (Arg) 72 78; Matthew Richardson (Eng) 75 75; Jorge Benedetti (Col) 74 76; Martin Lemesurier (Eng) 73 77;
151 Daniel Barbetti (Arg) 75 76; Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 76 75.
153 Barry Hume (Sco) 73 80, Neil Cheetham (Eng) 76 77.
155 Scott Henry (Sco) (am) 74 81.
156 Matthew King (Eng) 74 82.