Bidwells Scottish open amateur stroke-play

Tommy Fleetwood driving from the third tee at Murcar Links (image by Cal Carson Golf Agency; click on it to enlarge).

Fleetwood leads by

three from Dear as

Byrne slips to 4th

Lancashire teenager Tommy Fleetwood has stretched his halfway lead to three shots with one round to play in the Bidwells Scottish men’s open amateur stroke-play golf championship on another brilliantly sunny – but windy, of course – day at Murcar Links north of Aberdeen.
Fleetwood shot a third-round 67 for an 11-under-par tally of 202, having scored 66 and 69 over Friday and Saturday.
Banchory’s James Byrne, who had been the 18-year-old Everton supporter’s nearest challenger at the start of the day, dropped back to fourth place with a 75 for 212 after setting a new course record of 65 on Saturday afternoon.
Byrne may have been unsettled by the late arrival of his golf clubs. The 20-year-old made it to the course with plenty of time for his 10.48am tee off time – only to discover that his golf clubs had been left in another car at home in Banchory.
Inchmarlo’s Tom Spencer made the 30-mile dash from Murcar up Deeside to get the clubs and ferry them back to Byrne.
Byrne was reunited with his clubs with only minutes to spare before his name was called by the starter. No time for practice, of course.
James, carrying his clubs in the distinctive Arizona State University golf team bag, had a double bogey 6 at the 8 and turned in one-over-par 37. On the inward half, Byrne bogeyed the 10th, 13th, 14th and 16th for 38 home and a 75 which knocked him 10 shots adrift of his playing partner, leader Fleetwood (pictured above), beaten finalist in last year's British amateur championship at Turnberry.
Gavin Dear (Murrayshall), winner of the Irish open amateur stroke-play title three weeks ago, took over the second spot with his best round so far – a five-under-par 66 for eight-under 205.
Dear’s bogey-free halves of 33 contained birdies at the long fourth, the sixth, the ninth, the 11th and the 18th.
Portuguese open amateur champion Dale Whitnell (Five Lakes) from Essex broke 70 for the first time at Murcar Links with a 67 for 208.

THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3 x 71) CSS 74 74 73
202 Tommy Fleetwood (Formby Hall) 66 69 67.
205 Gavin Dear (Murrayshall) 68 71 66.
208 Dale Whitnell (Five Lakes) 70 71 67.
212 James Byrne (Banchory) 72 65 75.
213 Farren Keenan (Sunningdale) 72 72 69, Luke Goddard (Hendon) 73 71 69, Mark Halliday (Royal Aberdeen) 72 70 71, Matt Haines (Rochester &Cobham Park) 66 73 74.
214 Jake Redman (SAf) 71 71 72.
215 Ben Westgate (Trevose) 71 74 70, Sam Hutsby (Liphook) 74 69 72.
216 Wallace Booth (Comrie) 72 73 71, Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle) 72 72 72, Ross Kellett (Colville Park) 72 70 74, Jack Senior (Heysham) 71 70 78.
217 Philip McLean (Peterhead) 75 70 72, Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) 72 72 73, Daniel Jennevret (Swe) 71 72 74, Eddie Pepperell (Drayton Park) 73 68 76.
218 Liam McGowan (St Andrews New) 72 71 75.
219 Sandy Bolton (Magnolia Park) 70 78 71, Matt Jager (Aus) 73 74 72, Adrian Ford (SAf) 71 76 72, Paul Shields (Kirkhill) 76 71 72, Paul O’Hara (Colville Park) 73 75 71, James Hendrick (Pollok) 68 78 73, Jack Senior (Heysham) 71 70 78.
220 Oscar Sharpe (Minchinhampton) 79 69 72, Bryan Fotheringham (Forres) 73 75 72, Daniel Nisbet (Aus) 79 68 73, Bobby Rushford (Grangemouth) 74 73 73, Russell Thornton (US) 74 72 74, Colin Thomson (East Renfrewshire) 73 73 74, David Addison (Kilmarnock Barassie) 76 69 75, Richard Merchant (Wernddu) 73 71 76
221 Chris Robb (Inchmarlo) 72 76 73, Steven Ferreira (SAf) 77 70 74, Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) 76 72 73, Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 74 72 75, Fraser Fotheringham (Nairn) 73 72 76.
222 Jamie Mackay (Kilmarnock Barassie) 74 71 77, Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh) 71 71 80.
224 Mark Fensham (SAfr) 75 72 77.
225 Richard Smith(Notts) 70 78 77, Ross Crowe (Westerhope) 72 76 77
228 Nick Robson (Meldrum House) 71 76 81.