Golf Data Lab Scottish youths championship

CRICHTON MAKES MOST OF EARLY

START ... REST OF THE FIELD GET

THE WIND UP AT RENFREW

It was a test of who could play best in a half gale for the first round of the Golf Data Lab Scottish youths golf championship at Renfrew Golf Club today..
Some of the bigger names in the field didn't do as well as expected with former champion Fran Pintor Smith from Spain ending the day in a share of 45th place on five-over-par 77, three over the CSS.
Defending champion David Booth, a Stirling University student from Rotherham, did worse than that. He had an 11-over-par 83 and one would think he will struggle to make the top 40 by the end of Saturday's second round. Only the leading 40 and ties after 36 holes will qualify for the Sunday action.
Scott Crichton, pictured above, from Delgaty Bay, Fife and a member at Aberdour Golf Club, coped best of all with the conditions, posting a two-under-par 70 to lead by one shot from Kelan McDonagh (Athlone) and Peter Scanlan (Hamilton).
Crighton was lucky with the draw - first off the tee, he got round before the fierce wind got up and wrecked so many scores.
Scott spends most of the year outside Scotland. Twenty-one years old, he'll be starting his fourth and final senior year at Western New Mexico University when he returns to Silver City, New Mexico in the autumn.
So proud and on the ball are the Western New Mexico University staff that their website had news of Crichton's performance at Refnrew on display within an hour or two of his finish. They have reason to be proud. Scott is an all-star student named RMAC Men's All-Academic Player of the Year in May.
Crichton, a cell and molecular biology student, had a 3.93 grade point average after five semesters of course work. "Not only has Scott excelled in the classroom, this past season he has posted eight scores of five under par of better," says the WNMU website.
Last year he finished third in the Scottish youths championship.
Only two other players in the huge field at Renfrew Golf Club got under the par of 72. They were Kelan McDonagh, who came all the way from Athlone, County Roscommon in Ireland, and Peter Scanlan, who had a much shorter trip to make from Hamilton. Peter's sister Gillian reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Under-18 girls' match-play championship at Alyth last year.
Peter is 18 and plays off two of a handicap. He reckons he's a much better player since he started being coached by SLGA national coach Kevin Craggs.

FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72. CSS 74
70 Scott Crichton (Aberdour).
71 Kelan McDonagh (Athlone), Peter Scanlan (Hamilton).
72 Scott Brace (Stoke by Nayland, Angus Cappi (Carnoustie), Jules Bordonado (France).
73 Ben Sloan (Cathkin Braes), Craig Martin (Kilkenny), Max Walz (Germany), Michael Main (Thornton), Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle).
74 William Bremner (Edzell), Matthew Reid (Downfield), Fraser Campbell (Clober), Darryn Grant (Renfrew), Andrew McLachlan (Bonnyton), Tom Blennerhassett (Marriott Dalmahoy).
75 Mark Collin (Eyemouth), Robert McGrory (Singing Hills), Daniel Young (Craigie Hill), Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon), Matt Killen (Cottingham Parks), Kyle Smith (Troon Welbeck), Jordan McColl (Scotscraig), Grant Forres (Craigielaw), Ross Bell (Downfield), Oliver Huish (North Berwick), Tom Hayes (West Byfleet), Myles Cunningham (Craigielaw), Paul Shields (Kirkhill).
76 Andrew Campbell (Dumbarton), Calum Stewart (Brora), Stephen Keane (Cathkin Braes), Michael Downes (Mere), Miles Collins (Stoke by Nayland), Fraser Moore (Glenbervie), John Henry (Clydebank & Dist), Chris Corbett (Dumfries & Galloway), Paul Ferrier (Baberton), Nick Macandrew (Cullen), Michael Daily (Erskine), Chjris Robb (Inchmarlo), Philip Gordon (Paisley), Kyle McClung (Wigtownshire Co).
77 Shan Deegan (Craigielaw), Daniel Harrison (Crieff), David Giaoui (France), Ben Cotton (Oxfordshire), David Mitchell (Leven Thistle), Fran Pintor Smith (Spain), Luke Jackson (Mold), Frazer Ogston (St Andrews), Steven Maxwell (Windyhill), Tuomas Salminen (Finland), Liam Adamson (Ganton), James Wilson (Formby), James Hamilton (NZ).
78 Roberto Sebastian (Spain), Euan Brown (Kilmarnock Barassie), Kevin Duncan (McDonald Ellon), Sam McLaren (King James VI), Kyle Godsman (Hopeman), Ian Redford (St Andrews New), Hugo Menendez (Spain), Liam Brace (Stoke by Nayland), Derek Ramsay (Elgin), Andrew Abercrombie (US), Scott Carmichael (Baberton).
79 Sam Lavelle (Lancaster), Jack Bradley (Paisley), Chris Low (Tantallon), Alasdair Forsythe Caldwell), Chris Conroy (Paisley), Max Roehrig (Germany), Andrew Wright (Kilmarnock Barassie), Grant Carnie (Newburgh on Ythan), Ben Irving (Dumfries & Co), Stuart Boyle (Harburn), Sean McGarfvey (Glencorse), Stuart Ballingall (Dunston Hall), Alexander Glover (St Mellion), John Shanks (Ivine).
80 Simon Barras (Helensburgh), Gavin Strling (Caldwell), Mark Dickson (Gullane), Sean Kennedy (Betchworth Park), Sean Thompson (St Andrews) Paul McPhee (King James VI), Alistair Lauder (Paisley), Jordan Grant (Renfrew), Daniel Lawrence (Ballumbie Castle).
81 Mark Thomson (Grange), Rodger Clarke (Moray), Alexander Ferguson (Paisley), Scott Gibson (Southerness), Cameron Gray (West Kilbride), Craig McLaughlin (Largs), Jack Scott (Deeside), Jack Bado (Shooters Hill).
82 James Hendrick (Pollok), Jack Ferrier (Dumfries & Galloway), Marc Smith (Troon Welbeck), Christopher Jess (East Sussex National), Conor O'Neil (Glasgow), Scott Fitzgerald (Southport & Ainsdale).
83 Euan Mackay (Torphin Hill), John Duff (Newmachar), Alex Moir (Thornton), Jonathan Corke (Rowany), David Booth (Rotherham), Richard Docherty (Windyhill), Colin Baird (Bothwell Castle).
84 Henri Hytonen (Finland).
85 Simon Fairburn (Torwoodlee.
87 Ian Allan (Hopeman).
Disqualified Craig Isabel (Langdon Hills), Alistair Graham (Crow Wood).
Retired Liam Johnston (Dumfries & Co.).