Halfway in St Andrews Links Trophy tournament

Late finisher Macaulay
pips McNicoll for
halfway lead

Two Scots who polished up their golf games on the American college circuit, Callum Macaulay (Tulliallan) and Carnoustie's Keir McNicoll, are shining bright at the head of the star-studded field as it goes into Sunday's final two rounds of the St Andrews Links Trophy stroke-play championship over the Old Course.

Mississippi University graduate Macaulay, 24, picture right by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved), was in the third last threesome to finish and his one-under-par 71 in increasingly testing conditions for a seven-under-par halfway tally of 137 knocked long-time leader McNicoll, who spent four years at Lynn University, Florida, off the top spot.

"It was very difficult out there," said Macaulay who had so-steady halves of 35 and 36.

"I just concentrated on doing nothing silly. I had a crisis point at the 10^th where I drove into a bunker but I settled down after that and ground out as many pars as a I could."

McNicoll, third in this tournament two years ago and second in the recent Irish open amateur stroke play championship, believes his time has come to be No 1.

The 23-year-old full-time amateur golfer is a son of former Dunfermline pro footballer Dave McNicoll but he sees his own future as a tour pro.

Saturday scores rose alongwith the strength of the wind off the North Sea after McNicoll posted a one-over-par 71 to add to his five-under 67 over the Jubilee Course on Friday. That was several hours before the end of play but one by one his challengers faded under the pressure, leaving him at the top of leaderboard until Great Britain & Ireland squad colleague Macaulay, slipped past him.

Joint overnight leader with a 66, Wallace Booth (Comrie) could do no better than a 75 (38-37) for 141 to slip back into the pack.

Scottish youths champion Scott Borrowman (Dollar), poised at the start of the day with a 68, slumped to an 82 for 150 – and he did not even qualify for the last day's action.

England's Jonathan Hurst from Shaw Hill, joint third overnight on 67, was another expected to mount a challenge but it never happened. He shot 78 for 145.

Walker Cup Welshman Nigel Edwards made a brave bid to make up the leeway after a Friday nightmare of 82 strokes. Nigel's 70 over the Old Course was one of today's best rounds but 152 was seven shots too many to prevent an early departure from Fife for Cardiff.

Only those with 36-hole tallies of one-over-par 145 or better still have an active interest in the tournament.

McNicoll was certainly not displeased with his 71 over the Old Course.

"It was certainly more difficult for everyone compared with the first round and the later your tee time, the harder it was," said McNicoll.

"Anytime you score under par over the 'Old Lady,' you've got to be happy. OK, so I bogeyed the 16^th and 17^th so I could have been two or three shots better but I'll take six-under-par for two rounds.

"In 2006, I finished third after being outgunned down the home straight by Oliver Fisher."

McNicoll finished runner-up in the recent Irish open amateur stroke-play but missed the cut in both the weather-hit Brabazon Trophy and Scottish open amateur stroke-play where the first round was decisive.

"I feel like it's been a stop-start-stop season for me so far but over the last two days, I am beginning to feel I've got it going again. I'm hitting the ball OK and I've got the speed of the greens which is important.

"The Old Course is definitely one of my favourites. It never plays the same way twice."

McNicoll birdied the second, sixth, ninth, 11^th and 14^th in halves of 34 (two under par) and 37 (one over). He bogeyed the seventh, 10^th, 16^th and 17^th.

Former Australian amateur champion Rohan Blizard showed the scoring potential on a day when haar made things difficult for the early starters, by reducing the outward nine holes to only 30 shots – birdies at the first, second, third, fifth, seventh and ninth.

He came home in 36 for a six-under-66.

The first round over the Jubilee cost him 79 shots so a 36-hole total of 145 was very much borderline as estimates of the cut rose as the second day progressed.

Scottish boys' match-play champion Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) had a 71 for 139, so he was assured of playing over the Old Course twice more on Sunday.

"I've never played it before. It's awesome. I had goose bumps just standing on the first tee waiting to play," said Michael who starts a four-year golf scholarship at East Tennessee State University in the autumn.

"I've given myself a long-range target of making the 2011 Walker Cup team before I turn pro."