LYTHAM TROPHY HALFWAY SCOREBOARD

Dear, McNicoll, Kellett, Booth

and Campbell make the cut

Five Scots beat the halfway cut at leading 40 and ties in the Lytham Trophy at Royal Lytham St Annes, Lancashire today.

England's Dale Whitnell is leader on level par 140 after rounds of 68 and 72.

But Craigmillar Park Open winner Gavin Dear (Murrayshall), top Scot in the R&A World Amateur Rankings, is on his tail, only one shot behind with rounds of 71 and 70.

Last year's St Andrews Links Trophy and Leven Gold Medal winner Keir McNicoll is the next Scot in the hit parade. He had rounds of 74 and 70 for 144 - one shot ahead of Ross Kellett (Colville Park) (75-70) and Wallace Booth (Comrie) (70-75).

Completing the Scottish quintet who will be taking part in Sunday's 36-hole action is last month's Scottish champion of champions' tournament winner Glenn Campbell, the former Scottish amateur match-play champion from the Blairgowrie club. Glenn had rounds of 76 and 72 for eight-over-par148, which was the limit mark for qualifying.

Last weekend's Edward Trophy play-off winner Paul O'Hara (Colville Park) missed out by one shot with scores of 73 and 73 for 149, the same total as this year's Scottish boys' match-play champion David Law (Hazlehead). David score 74 and 75.

Steven McEwan (Caprington) looked certain to qualify after opening with a 71 but he slipped back today to a 79 for 150 and bowed out.

On 151 was Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) with 76 and 75.

Gordon Yates (Hilton Park) missed out with a pair of 76s.

Nothing went right for Peterhead's Philip McLean in a second-round 81 for 154, which was three better than his Buchan colleague, Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh) who scored 78 and 79.

Scottish universities champion James White (Lundin), beaten by O'Hara in last Sunday's Edward Trophy play-off suffered a big second slump from a 73 to an 85 for 158.

FROM THE GOLFWEEK.COM WEBSITE

Alistair Tait reports

There is only one way for England’s Dale Whitnell to go if he hopes to keep his record of improving every year in the Lytham Trophy.

Winning is the only option for the 20-year-old.

Whitnell added a second-round, two-over-par 72 to his opening 68 for a level 140 total to lead the Lytham Trophy heading into the final two rounds.

Scotland’s Gavin Dear holds second place a shot behind after a 70. First-round leader Shane Lowry shares third place at 142 with Englishmen Luke Goddard and Mark Thistleton.

Whitnell is playing in his third Lytham Trophy. He finished sixth in his debut. Last year he was runner-up to Matt Haines, missing out on a play-off for the title by a shot.

There’s a reason why Whitnell does well here.“I just love this course,” he said. “It’s my favourite tournament and my favourite course. It’s a great test. It’s good to come to a course where you feel comfortable and have confidence in your game. It obviously brings out the best in me.”

Whitnell is a member of the 28-man Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup squad. He’s in the squad for good reason. Whitnell won the Portuguese amateur championship in February, and is a member of the English Golf Union’s Elite squad.

Needless to say, the +4.7 handicapper has set his sights on making the trip to Merion Golf Club September 12-13 as one of the 10 GB&I players to take on Buddy Marucci’s U.S. team.

“My goal this year is the Walker Cup. It’s the pinnacle of amateur golf. I’ve played in the Eisenhower Trophy (World Amateur Team Championship) but I want that Walker Cup spot. I’m going to turn pro at the end of the season and if I make the Walker Cup team then I will have done everything in amateur golf.”

Winning the Lytham Trophy would practically cement Whitnell’s place.“That’s the goal this week.”

Dear propelled himself into contention by playing the back nine in two-under-par. He is in good form, too. He warmed up for Lytham by winning the Craigmillar Park Open. Last year he helped Scotland win the Eisenhower Trophy. He also took his game Stateside and won the Dixie Amateur.

Dear is also a member of the GB&I Walker Cup squad, and is heavily fancied to make the 10-man team.

Lowry has a good chance of joining Whitnell and Dear on the flight to the United States in September. The 22-year-old Irishman is also in the GB&I Walker Cup squad. Whether he flies to the U.S. as Lytham Trophy winner depends if he can replicate the form that saw him shoot an opening 66, rather than his second-round 76.

The burly Irishman did well to get round the Lytham lay-out in just six shots over par. He was five-over after eight holes and looking like returning a big score.

“Yesterday I wasn’t in any bunkers but it was pay back time today,” Lowry said. “I was in five or six. I was even in the same one twice!”

Lowry hit what he thought was a perfect 4-iron at the 196-yard, par-312th hole only to see the ball come up short and plug in a greenside bunker. He made a double bogey there when he needed two attempts to get out of the trap.He birdied the 13th but gave the shot back at the 15th and played the back nine in one-over par 37.

“It’s disappointing but I’m still in the tournament.”

So too are a number of players looking to impress GB&I Walker Cup captain Colin Dalgleish and his team of selectors over the final two rounds.The smart money says this year’s Lytham Trophy winner will be a GB&I Walker Cup squad player.

TWO-ROUND TOTALS

Par 140 (2x70)

QUALIFIERS

140 Dale Whitnell (Five Lakes) 68 72.

141 Gavin Dear (Murrayshall) 71 70.

142 Mark Thistleton (Hayling) 74 68, Luke Goddard (Hendon) 72 70, Shane Lowry (Esker Hills) 66 76.

143 Max Glauert (Germany) 74 69, Billy Hemstock (Teignmouth) 74 69, Stiggy Hodgson (Sunningdale), Sam Hutsby (Liphook) 71 72, Edward Parker (Crewe) 71 72, Darren Wright (Rowlands Castle).

144 Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) 74 70, Charles Ford (Kirby Muxloe) 72 72, James Robinson (Southport & Ainsdale) 72 72, Nigel Edwards (Whitchurch) 72 72, Matt Haines (Rochester & Cobham) 72 72.

145 Ross Kellett (Collville Park) 75 70, Jack Senior (Heysham) 74 71, Tommy Fleetwood (Formby Hall) 74 71, James Watt (East Herts) 72 73, Wallace Booth (Comrie) 70 75.

146 Jonathan Gidney (Church Stretton) 76 70, Farren Keenan (Sunningdale) 76 70, Ben Westgate (Trevose) 73 73, Sebastian Schwind (Germany) 73 73, Jake Shepherd (The Wisley) 73 73, Francois Rouilleaux (St Nom La Bretche) 73 73, Miles Mackman (Broomie Manor) 72 74.

147 Andy Sullivan (Nuneaton) 78 69, Adam Wills (Sandiway) 77 70, Dara Lernihan (Castle) 76 71, Todd Adcock (The Nevill) 76 71, Elias Bertheussen (Trondheim) 73 74, Matthew Nixon (Ashton Under Lyne) 72 75, Miro Veijalainen (Finland) 72 75, Mayel Oueld es Cheikh (RCF La Boulie) 71 76.

148 Jason Barnes (Chart Hills) 77 71, Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) 76 72, Martin Keskari (Geremany) 75 73, Alexandre Kaleka (Marcilly-Orleans) 74 74, Steven Uzzell (Hornsea) 73 75, Frederic Abadie (Ormesson) 73 75, Rhys Black (Sherwood Forest) 71 77, Lucas Bjerregaard (Frederickshavn) 70 78.

ALL THOSE WHO MISSED THE CUT

149 Anders Kristiansen (Dorregaard) 78 71, Joachim Hansen (Hillerod) 78 71, Josh Evans (Mere) 77 72, Julien Gressier (Paris) 77 72, David Antonelli (Mionnay) 77 72, Paul O'Hara (Colville Park) 76 73, Max Roehrig (Germany) 75 74, Dave Corsby (Royal Lytham) 74 75, Alan Dunbar (Rathmore) 74 75, David Law (Hazlehead) 74 75, Toni Hakula (Finland) 73 76, Hans Bacher (Radstadt ) 73 76.

150 Tommy King (Sudbury) 81 69, Ken Benz (Bubikon) 78 71, Colin Edwsards (Bath) 77 73, Sam Stuart (St Annes Old Links) 77 73, George Gleichman (Rosendaelsche) 77 73, Stuart Phillips (Royston) 76 74, Jurrian Van Der Vaart (De Koepel) 76 74, Ryan Brown (Worksop) 74 76, Simon Lee (City of Newcastle) 74 76, Teemu Bakker (Lochem) 74 76, Clement Berardo (Orleans-Limere) 74 76, John Ambridge (Moor Park) 73 77, Gareth Evans (Northcliffe) 73 77, Steven McEwan (Caprington) 71 79, David Coupland (Boston) 70 80.

151 Adam Woodton (Oxford City) 79 72, Sebastien Gros (Salvagny) 78 73, Eddie Pepperell (Drayton Park) 77 74, Stephen Wolters (Germany) 77 74, Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) 76 75, Mark Young (Longridge) 76 75, Richard Smith (Notts) 75 76, Adam Runcie (Abergele) 74 77, Roberto Laino (Bedford & Co) 73 78, Liam Burns (Sundridge Park), Johann Lopez-Lazara (Paris) 71 80.

152 Jonathan Hurst (Shaw Hill) 79 73, Fraser Fotheringham (Nairn) 78 74, Joe Vickery (Newport) 78 74, Jerome Lando-Casanova (Ormesson) 78 74, Alexis Szappanos (St Leon-Rot) 77 75, Gordon Yates (Hilton Park) 76 76, Tom Lewis (Welwyn Garden City) 75 77, Mikael Salminen (Finland) 74 78, Jamie Abbott (Fynn Valley) 71 81.

153 Niall Kearney (Royal Dublin) 82 71, Oliver Farr (Ludlow) 78 75, Alex Christie (Tyrrells Wood) 78 75, Paul Lowey (Rowany) 78 75, Moritz Lampert (Germany) 77 76, Simon Fernoux (Golf Du Gouverneur) 77 76, Anders Larson (Uppsala) 76 77, Andrew Hogan (Newlands) 71 82.

154 Gavin O'Neill (Royal Jersey) 80 74, Jonathan Bell (Royal Blackheath) 80 74, Ian Kenwright (Haydock Park) 79 75, Paul Cutler (Portstewart) 79 75, John Kemp (John O'Gaunt) 78 76, James Smedley (Hallowes) 78 76, Callum Tarren (Dinsdale Spa) 78 76, David Bobrowski (Cannes Mougins) 78 76, Gavin Samuels (Leighton Buzzard) 75 79, Kevin Turlan (St Noma La Breteche) 75 79, John Carroll (Huyton & Prescot) 74 80, Philip McLean (Peterhead) 73 81.

155 Cian Curley (Newlands) 80 75, Olivier Serres (Ormesson) 80 75, Richard Bentham (St Pierre) 79 76, Francois Illouz (Morfontaine) 77 78, Lindsay Reynolds (Myrtle Beach) 75 80.

156 Mx Walz (Germany) 82 75, Alexander Matlari (Germany) 80 76, Craig Hinton (The Oxfordshire) 78 77, Luke Collins (Mendip Spring) 78 77, Benedict Staben (Germany) 76 80.

157 Sam Haywood (Rotherham) 82 75, James Frazer (Pennard) 78 78, Richard Merchant (Wernddu) 78 79, Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh) 78 79, James Scade (Braintree) 77 80.

158 Arthur Gabella-Wenne (Bossesy) 79 79, James White (Lundin) 73 85.

159 Oscar Sharpe (Minchinhampton) 79 80, Raphael Marguery (La Boulie) 79 80, Michael J Bedford (Prestbury) 78 81, Pontus Widegren ( Stockholm) 77 82, Ian Crowther (Royal Lytham) 76 83.

160 Stephen Clark (Grand Summit, USA) 81 79, Ossi Mikkola (Finland) 79 81.

161 James Taverner (South Herts) 81 80.

164 Sebastian Kannier (Germany) 80 84.

166 Keith Shanks (Kampen) 82 84.

167 Nicolas D'Incau (Neuchatel) 84 83.

168 Peter Croonquist (Tenison Park) 89 79.

169 Seven Mauritz (Havelte) 87 82.

173 Oliver Gilmartin (Interlaken) 91 82.

NRs Nick Keenan (The Lambourne) 87 NR, Frederik Killevold (Niklas Diethelm) NR NR.