Scottish qualifying round for Powerade championship

Patrick, Colquhoun head PGA

assistants at Auchterarder

The vast experience of former Walker Cup player David Patrick helped hoist him to joint top spot in today's Scottish qualifying round at Auchterarder in the flagship event for Britain and Ireland’s top young players.

Playing in the Powerade PGA Assistants’ Championship in association with FootJoy, Patrick and Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links) tied on a two-under 67. The leading 16 players will now contest the 54-hole final at The London Club in August.

Patrick, who spent seven years on the Challenge Tour, is now, at the age of 34, undergoing PGA training under Ian Muir at Elie Golf Centre in Fife. But his playing ability clearly hasn’t deserted him.

The 33-year-old shot a steady front nine of eight pars and a birdie, but on a topsy-turvy inward half he alternated birdies with bogeys from the 11th to the 15th, for an inward 32, one under.

Like Patrick, pictured above in action at Auchterarder today, who studied at Charleston in South Carolina, Colquhoun is another product of the US educational system, having picked up a degree in general business studies at Midland College in Texas, through whose doors have passed Andrew Coltart, former British amateur champion Stephen Dundas, former British and Scottish boys champion Steven Young, Dean Robertson and Mark Loftus.

Colquhoun, after a level-par outward half, picked up three birdies and a solitary bogey on the way home, finishing with a flourish as he chipped in from the back of the 188yd 18th.

First-year assistant Robin Gaden, signing for a 68, eventually made light work of the course that adjoins his workplace, Gleneagles Hotel. A keen fan of online poker (“but I don’t play for money – just points in a league”), Gaden overcame a dispiriting start – two bogeys in the first three holes – to grab three birdies before the turn, and then add a birdie and a bogey to a card otherwise peppered with pars.

The kind of luck he needs with the playing cards came to his aid after his four-iron tee shot at the 188yd final hole landed in the left rough. He then watched with some relief as his next shot, with a 58deg. gap wedge, took two bounces – and disappeared into the hole for his fourth birdie of the round.

AUCHTERARDER QUALIFIERS

Par 69

67 David Patrick (Elie), Iain Colquhoun (Dundonald Links).

68 Robin Gaden (Gleneagles Hotel).

69 Graham Fox (East Kilbride).

70 Peter McLachlan (West Kilbride), Craig Dempster (Inchmarlo), Mark Barnard (Inchmarlo).

71 David Blackadder (Kingsbarns), Alan Martin (Dunbar), Richard Valentine (Craigielaw).

72 Graeme Stuart (Gleddoch), Alasdair McDonald (Elie), Ross Ewen (West Lothian), Graham Mackay (Prestonfield), Christopher Currie (Caldwell), Ryan Buckley (Craigielaw).

*Full results from Auchterarder can be found under ‘Schedule, Scores and Results’ at http://www.pga.info/PGAAssistantsChampionship.aspx