NEW SCOTTISH CHAMPION MARK LOFTUS
SLUMPS TO AN 80 IN POWERADE
ASSISTANTS' CHAMPIONSHIP


Former Scottish boys' match-play champion Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) and Anglo-Scot Ian Campbell (Brighton & Hove) were the leading Scots on two-over-par 74 at the end of the first round of the Powerade PGA assistants golf championship at London Golf Club today.
Harper would have been a couple of shots closer to leader Gary Wardlow from Dunmurry, Northern Ireland but for a double bogey 6 at the 16th. Campbell's highlights were birdies at the fourth, fifth and 12th. Wardlow birdied four in a row from the 12th to lead by two strokes with a 70.
Michael Rae (Alyth) and Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) both ahd double bogey 6s at the 465yd par-4 16th. Rae finished the day on joint 14th place with a 75 - one ahead of Mathieson whose 76 put him alongside Sean O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park) in a share of 19th place.
New Gleneagles Scottish PGA champion Mark Loftus (Cowglen) had his worst round of the season - an eight-over-par 80 which included double bogey 6s at the first, second and 14th.
Also on the 80 mark was Graeme Lornie (Aspire) who had been playing well recently. He had a double bogey 7 at the 12th. Nathan Keast (Duff House Royal), another on the 80 mark, had a double bogey 6 at the 13th.
The first prize in the three-day event is £5,000.

LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
70 G Wardlow (Dunmurry).
Scots scores:
74 L Harper (Archerfield Links), I Campbell (Brighton & Hove) (Jt 8th).
75 M Rae (Alyth) (jt 14th).
76 C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), S O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park) (jt 19th).
79 S Duncan (unatt) (jt 45th).
80 M Loftus (Cowglen), G Lornie (Aspire), N Keast (Duff House Royal (Jt 55th).
81 C McCalman (unatt), E Hogarth (Peebles) (jt 68th).
84 A MacKenzie (Liberton), D Blackadder (Kingsbarns) (jt 90th).
92 B Wallace (unatt) (115th).