Joint leaders in St Andrews Links Trophy
WALLACE ANDCALLUM SHARE
LEAD ON GOOD
DAY FOR SCOTS
DAY FOR SCOTS
Top-ranked Scots Wallace Booth and Callum Macaulay underlined their
international class to edge ahead of a quality field at the end of the
first round of the 72-hole St Andrews Trophy international amateur
stroke-play championship today.
Both shot six-under-par 66 in near-perfect windless conditions over the
Jubilee Course to set themselves up for the last three rounds over the
Old Course on Saturday and Sunday.
Comrie's Booth, 22, and 24-year-old Macaulay from Tulliallan are two of
the three Scots in the Great Britain & Ireland squad for the St Andrews
Trophy match on August 29 and 30 against the Continent of Europe at
Kingsbarns where the squad will have a get-together on Monday and
Tuesday.
The third, 23-year-old Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie), another who
sharpened up his game with four years on the US college circuit, is
tucked in behind his GB&I colleagues, sharing third place with four
others on 67 on what was a very good day for Scotland.
Also on five-under 67, thanks to an inward half of 33, is late finisher
Allyn Dick (Shotts), Scottish mid-amateur title-winner in 2005 and 2006.
Scottish youths champion Scott Borrowman (Dollar), Mark Hillson
(Craigielaw) and Scottish boys champion Michael Stewart (Troon
Welbeck) are all on the 68 mark. Late in the day, when conditions were
not quite so easy, Stewart, like Dick, came home in 33 for his
four-under-par score.
Later still, in the last three to finish at 7.45pm was James White
(Lundin) on 69.
In fact, there should be no shortage of Scots when the field for
Sunday's final 36 holes is cut to the leading 40 and ties.
On 70 are James Byrne (Banchory), who has just flown back from the
United States NCAA Division 1 championship, Ross Kellett (Colville
Park), Mark Halliday (Royal Aberdeen), reigning Scottish match-play
kingpin John Gallagher (Swanston New) and Kevin McAlpine (Alyth).
Not many players have a current Curtis Cup player as a caddie but
Wallace Booth is an exception – he had his 15-year-old sister Carly
Booth carrying his bag.
"I had to drag her out of bed to get here. She was very tired by the
last day of the Curtis Cup but I thought she was feeling well enough to
help me out and needed the fresh air," said Wallace who has carried on
where he left off on Sunday as winner of the Scottish open amateur
stroke-play championship at The Duke's Course, also in the St Andrews
area.
Both Wallace and Callum highlighted their excellent scorecards with
eagle 3s at the sixth, both using a driver and a five-iron to cover the
498yd. Wallace holed from 10ft whle Callum sank a 25-footer from the
back ege of the green for his 3.
" "This is the first time I've made a good start in the St Andrews
Trophy so I'm looking forward to the weekend," said Booth.
Another link between Booth (a graduate of Augusta State University),
Macaulay (Mississippi University) and McNicoll (Lynn University,
Florida) is that they intend entering the European Tour School
qualifying process as amateurs later this year – and "seeing what
happens." A place in next year's GB&I Walker Cup team in the United
States would be a nice "consolation."
"Putting was my strong point today," said Macaulay who was the Scottish
Golf Union Player of the Year in 2007.
Booth and Macaulay knocked Carnoustie's Keir McNicoll and his 67 off
the clubhouse leaderboard.
"That's the best condition I've ever seen the Jubilee Course," said
23-year-old McNicoll. "The greens are fantastic and the fairways are
running so it was set up for some low scoring."
McNicoll has had a patchy start to the domestic season. Physically if
not mentally recovered from a right wrist injury received on the first
morning of last year's home internationals, Keir finished runner-up in
the Irish open amateur stroke-play but missed the first-round cut in
two weather-hit tournaments, the Brabazon Trophy and the Scottish open
amateur stroke-play at The Duke's Course, last weekend.
"I feel like I've had a stop-start-stop to the season," he said.
Not everybody found the Jubilee Course to their liking.
Scott Henry (Cardross), winner of the Edward Trophy at Glasgow Gailes
this season, returned a 12-over-par 84, including an 8 at a par-3 hole
on his way to a nightmare outward half of 45, while Welsh Walker Cup
player Nigel Edwards (Whitchurch) struggled to an 82.
international class to edge ahead of a quality field at the end of the
first round of the 72-hole St Andrews Trophy international amateur
stroke-play championship today.
Both shot six-under-par 66 in near-perfect windless conditions over the
Jubilee Course to set themselves up for the last three rounds over the
Old Course on Saturday and Sunday.
Comrie's Booth, 22, and 24-year-old Macaulay from Tulliallan are two of
the three Scots in the Great Britain & Ireland squad for the St Andrews
Trophy match on August 29 and 30 against the Continent of Europe at
Kingsbarns where the squad will have a get-together on Monday and
Tuesday.
The third, 23-year-old Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie), another who
sharpened up his game with four years on the US college circuit, is
tucked in behind his GB&I colleagues, sharing third place with four
others on 67 on what was a very good day for Scotland.
Also on five-under 67, thanks to an inward half of 33, is late finisher
Allyn Dick (Shotts), Scottish mid-amateur title-winner in 2005 and 2006.
Scottish youths champion Scott Borrowman (Dollar), Mark Hillson
(Craigielaw) and Scottish boys champion Michael Stewart (Troon
Welbeck) are all on the 68 mark. Late in the day, when conditions were
not quite so easy, Stewart, like Dick, came home in 33 for his
four-under-par score.
Later still, in the last three to finish at 7.45pm was James White
(Lundin) on 69.
In fact, there should be no shortage of Scots when the field for
Sunday's final 36 holes is cut to the leading 40 and ties.
On 70 are James Byrne (Banchory), who has just flown back from the
United States NCAA Division 1 championship, Ross Kellett (Colville
Park), Mark Halliday (Royal Aberdeen), reigning Scottish match-play
kingpin John Gallagher (Swanston New) and Kevin McAlpine (Alyth).
Not many players have a current Curtis Cup player as a caddie but
Wallace Booth is an exception – he had his 15-year-old sister Carly
Booth carrying his bag.
"I had to drag her out of bed to get here. She was very tired by the
last day of the Curtis Cup but I thought she was feeling well enough to
help me out and needed the fresh air," said Wallace who has carried on
where he left off on Sunday as winner of the Scottish open amateur
stroke-play championship at The Duke's Course, also in the St Andrews
area.
Both Wallace and Callum highlighted their excellent scorecards with
eagle 3s at the sixth, both using a driver and a five-iron to cover the
498yd. Wallace holed from 10ft whle Callum sank a 25-footer from the
back ege of the green for his 3.
" "This is the first time I've made a good start in the St Andrews
Trophy so I'm looking forward to the weekend," said Booth.
Another link between Booth (a graduate of Augusta State University),
Macaulay (Mississippi University) and McNicoll (Lynn University,
Florida) is that they intend entering the European Tour School
qualifying process as amateurs later this year – and "seeing what
happens." A place in next year's GB&I Walker Cup team in the United
States would be a nice "consolation."
"Putting was my strong point today," said Macaulay who was the Scottish
Golf Union Player of the Year in 2007.
Booth and Macaulay knocked Carnoustie's Keir McNicoll and his 67 off
the clubhouse leaderboard.
"That's the best condition I've ever seen the Jubilee Course," said
23-year-old McNicoll. "The greens are fantastic and the fairways are
running so it was set up for some low scoring."
McNicoll has had a patchy start to the domestic season. Physically if
not mentally recovered from a right wrist injury received on the first
morning of last year's home internationals, Keir finished runner-up in
the Irish open amateur stroke-play but missed the first-round cut in
two weather-hit tournaments, the Brabazon Trophy and the Scottish open
amateur stroke-play at The Duke's Course, last weekend.
"I feel like I've had a stop-start-stop to the season," he said.
Not everybody found the Jubilee Course to their liking.
Scott Henry (Cardross), winner of the Edward Trophy at Glasgow Gailes
this season, returned a 12-over-par 84, including an 8 at a par-3 hole
on his way to a nightmare outward half of 45, while Welsh Walker Cup
player Nigel Edwards (Whitchurch) struggled to an 82.
*Callum Macaulay (left) and Wallace Booth are pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved).
Labels: Amateur Men
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Friday, June 06, 2008
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home