PAUL BETTY IS LEADING QUALIFIER IN
SPANISH AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

It's been a long time since a Scot was the leading qualifier in a major Continental amateur championship - so all credit to Stirling University student Paul Betty (Hayston) for winning the No 1 seed spot in the Spanish amateur championship at Platja de Pals Golf Club, Gerona in the north-east of the country.
Betty pulled a six-under-par 67 out of the bag in the second round for a brilliant 138 total - one shot ahead of France's Victor Dubuisson who had a 67 for 139.
Make that two Stirling University students and Dumbartonshire county team players among the 32 qualifiers for the match-play stages. Gordon Yates returned a four-under-par 69 to earn 21st place in the match-play draw on 145.
Other Scots to survive the cut-off at 146, on which mark five qualified and another five were eliminated on a card countback, were Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) and Gavin Dear (Murrayshall).
Campbell had a 71 for 144 and 18th place, Dear a repeat 72, also for 144, but 20th place in the draw.
Scots who did not qualify were:
Paul O'Hara (78 for 152), Greg Paterson (72 for 152), Mark Kerr (75 for 153), Scott Borrowman (78 for 163) and Steven McEwan) 81 for 164).
Friday match-play ties include:

Paul Betty (1) v Johann Lopez Lazaro (32).
Daniel Willett (12) v Gordon Yates (21).
Borja Etchart (13) v Gavin Dear (20).
Guillaume Cambis (15) v Glenn Campbell (18).

LEADING QUALIFIERS
Par 146 (2 x 73)
138 P Betty (Sco) 71 67.
139 V Dubuisson (Frfa) 72 67.
140 E Richardson (Eng) 72 68, B Hebert (Fra) 72 68.
141 P Oriol (Spa) 73 68, J Garcia Pinto (Spa) 68 73.
142 S Lowry (Ire) 74 68, H Bacher (Aut) 73 69, B Hemstock (Eng) 72 70, E Pepperell (Eng) 71 71.
Other qualifiers included:
143 M Bush (Eng) 74 69, D Willett (Eng) 74 69, J Hurst (Eng) 69 74.
144 G Campbell (Sco) 73 71, G Dear (Sco) 72 72.
145 G Yates (Sco) 76 69, C Woods (Eng) 75 70, P Cutler (Ire) 73 72, S Hutsby (Eng) 73 72, D Whitnell (Eng) 72 73.
146 S Ward (Ire) 75 71, N Chaudhuri (Eng) 74 72 (better second rounds).
Non-qualifiers included:
146 M Mackman (Eng) 73 73
147 G Wolstenholme (Eng) 74 73, M Cryer (Eng) 73 74, F Keenan (Eng) 73 74, S Uzzell (Eng) 74 73, A Coolley (Eng) 74 73, S Hodgson (Eng) 75 72.
152 G Paterson (Sco) 80 72, P O'Hara (Sco) 74 78.
153 M Kerr (Sco) 78 75.
163 S Borrowman (Sco) 85 78.
164 S McEwan (Sco) 83 81.