HUTCH IS BACK IN THE HUNT BUT LANE
HAS TWO-SHOT LEAD AT ELGIN
Title-holder Ian Hutcheon is back in the hunt as Englishman David Lane is the man they all have to catch over tomorrow's third and final round of the Scottish senior men's open amateur stroke-play golf championshipat Elgin Golf Club.
Lane, from the Goring & Streatley club near Reading, winner in 2001 and 2002 and with a CV of senior titles from Land's End almost to John O'Groats, shot the second day's second-best score of 71 for a 36-hole tally of 143 to lead by two shots from Ireland's Iain Stewart and George Payne from Prestbury.
Then, in joint fourth place on 146, with a three-shot leeway to make up on Lane comes Hutcheon and David Bunker (Nairn Dunbar).
The Monifieth maestro, bidding for his fourth success in this tournament, had the joint best second-round score of 70, which represented a six-shot improvement within 24 hours.
Hutch birdied the second, fifth and 11th but dropped shots at the fourth, sixth, eight and 10th. The biggest improvement came down the home run. Whereas he bogeyed each of the last five holes on Tuesday, Ian reeled off seven straight pars this time round.
He would have preferred a birdie or two in there but, not to worry, Hutcheon has the scent of victory in his nostrils again and it should be a stirring finish.
So closely packed are the top dozen that not only David Lane and Ian Hutcheon will be going to sleep tonight with high hopes of victory. Gordon MacDonald from Callander, the driving force behind the Scottish over-55s circuit, is on 147 after he matched Ian Hutcheon's second-round 70.
Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead) and John Johnston (Royal Aberdeen) and Bob Stewart (Tulliallan) are also on the 147 mark. One brilliant round to finish with could make any of the top 12 the winner.
Another live contender on 147 is the man who was at the top of the leaderboard on Tuesday - Ian Mason from Royal Cinque Ports. He fell from an opening 70 to a 77 but he is just as capable of breaking 70 in the third round as anyone else.
Players with 36-hole tallies of 153 and better qualfied for the final round. Donald McCart (Sherwood Forest), who had a hole in one at the seventh in the first round, failed by three shots to make it.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 138 (2 x 69). CSS 71 72
QUALIFIERS
143 D Lane (Goring & Streatley) 72 71.
145 I Stewart (Ire) 73 72, G Payne (Prestbury) 72 73.
146 I C Hutcheon (Monifieth) 76 70, D Bunker (Nairn Dunbar) 71 75.
147 G MacDonald (Callander) 77 70, B Stewart (Tulliallan) 77 70, B Edgar (Blackpool North Shore) 75 72, J Hubbard (Sunningdale) 75 72, A K Pirie (Hazlehead) 74 73, I Mason (Royal Cinque Ports) 70 77, J W Johnston (Royal Aberdeen) 74 73.
148 A Ferguson (Drumpellier) 76 72, J Innes (Elgin) 76 72, J Watt (Letham Grange) 72 76, B Grieve (King James VI) 74 74.
149 M Massie (UAR) 76 73, M Wigley (Trevose) 73 76, C Reynolds (Littlestone) 72 77, I Taylor (Royal Burgess) 71 78, R M Grant (Caledonian) 75 74.
150 G Macgregor (Glencorse) 76 74, J Paton (Kirkintilloch) 76 74, J Fraser (Royal Burgess) 76 74, T Stafford (Troon St Meddans) 73 77, D Murphy (Kiniross) 73 77, R McLellan (Turnberry) 73 77, G Rees (Fleetwood) 76 74.
151 M Jenkins (Duff House Royal) 77 74, I Dickson (Lundin) 76 75, L Gordon (Turnhouse) 75 76, R Walker (Crewe) 74 77.
152 W Wallace (Strathaven) 79 73, A Campbell (Kinross) 76 76, G Paterson (Northern) 76 76, R MacLean (Hamilton) 75 77, R Young (Chestfield) 75 77, J McArthur (St Andrews New ) 75 77, J Paton (Kirkintilloch) 76 76.
153 E Roylance (Stockport) 79 74, B Humble (Kilspindie) 78 75, N Marsden (Moor Park) 78 75, J S Macdonald (Dunfermline) 79 74, G Steel (Moor Park) 77 76, D Smith (Stirling) 76 77 .
MISSED THE CUT
154 J Russell (US) 81 73, A J Fiddes (Deeside) 77 77, G Rodaks (Moffat) 76 78, B Milne (Elgin) 76 78, P Ansell (Fleetwood) 75 79, J Baldwin (Sunningdale) 73 81, J Kinloch (Cardross) 80 74, N Hilliard (Colchester) 77 77, W Methven (Royal Aberdeen) 76 78.
155 M Temple (US) 81 74, G Franklin (Beaconsfield) 79 76, J Sim (Duff House Royal) 77 78, G Brown (Vale of Leven) 76 79, J Broadfoot (Turnberry) 76 79, P Tomisson (Nairn) 75 80, D Millar (St Andrews New) 77 78.
156 S Pond (Worksop) 80 76, G Doig (Southerness) 79 77, D McCart (Sherwood Forest) 76 80, W F Morton (Dunbar) 81 75, P Saggers (Nairn) 80 76, A Macnaught (Colchester) 79 77, K Scott (Copthorne) 78 78..
157 J Bunting (Ballochmyle) 78 79, J Kirwan (Bramhall) 76 81, R Cowe (Kelso) 75 82.
158 P Costello (Hirsel) 79 79, G Thomson (Bearsden) 81 77, J Porter (Elgin) 81 77.
159 A Elder (Kirkcaldy) 82 77, R Lumsden (Belford) 82 77, A Wight (Glencorse) 80 79, D Adams (Dunbar) 78 81, N MacWilliam (Kingussie) 77 82, J Wilson (Frilford Heath) 77 82, R Nelson (Powfoot) 80 79.
160 R Nordland (US) 81 79, M Yates (Highgate) 81 79, S Ellis (Heritage GS) 81 79, G Edwards (Bromborough) 78 82, A Laird (Deeside) 79 81, A Ritchie (Bothwell Castle) 77 83.
161 I Cumming (Eastwood) 83 78, P Addis (Parkstone) 82 79, A Frost (Dinsdale Spa) 82 79, D Forbes (Sonning) 82 79, M Nicholson (Northumberland) 81 80, K Russell (Wigtown & Bladnoch) 81 80, A Ross (Northumberland) 75 86.
162 G Fletcher (Kelso) 82 80, N Matthews (Leven Thistle) 80 82, A Wright (Goring & Streatley) 79 83, L Bushby (Strathmore) 79 83.
163 J Ingram (Boat of Garten) 81 82, I Hunter (Maidenhead) 80 83, D Brodie (Nairn Dunbar) 79 84.
164 P Kinloch (Cardross) 85 79, J Porter (Elgin) 81 83, D Sharp (Boat of Garten) 79 85.
165 L Smith Erksine) 83 82.
166 M Lironi (Cathkin Braes) 81 85, G Merryweather (Alnmouth) 84 82.
167 S Sander (US) 84 83.
168 A Cameron (Gourock) 83 85, C Brown (Frilford Heath) 77 91.
170 A Spencer (Leasowe) 85 85, C Bourne (Thornhill) 87 83, R Donald (Oldmeldrum) 86 84, L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) 82 88.
171 W Morgan (The Wynyward) 88 83, D Wilson (Duff House Royal) 88 83.
172 A Brodie (Glasgow) 82 90.
175 T Gray (Lanark) 89 86.
176 D Greenhalgh (St Andrews New) 92 84.
180 G Adde (Sweden) 89 91.
181 J Thomas (Ravensworth) 88 93.
Withdrew – F Urquhart (Inverness) 77 -, J Henderson (Dumfries & Co) 82, R Shepherd (Eaton) 89 -.