Grant Forrest leads Lothians junior qualifiers

but title-holder Tom Blannerhassett is out

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Craigielaw's Grant Forrest stormed to victory in the Lothians Junior Championship qualifying at the Braids, thanks mainly to an amazing finish to his opening round.
Forrest, who also qualified for the men's equivalent earlier in the year, secured the Lindsay Cup by a resounding six shots with a splendid two-round total of 133 (65, 68).
Out in 34, one-under, in the morning, Forrest started back with a disappointing bogey at the par-5 10th and then parred the 11th, another long hole. But he then went birdie-par-birdie-birdie-eagle-par-birdie, a blistering run that saw him home in 31, five-under-par.
Not surprisingly, his afternoon round was less spectacular, but, helped by birdies at the tenth, 13th and 15th on the back nine, he still finished well clear of the field.
Anthony Blaney secured second spot on 139, the rising Liberton star bagging five birdies – at the fifth, seventh, ninth, 12th and 16th holes – in his opening 69.
Prestonfield's Blair Pelling shot two 70s to secure third spot on 140, three better than West Lothian duo Stuart Boyle (Harburn) and Jordyn Rhind (Uphall).
Tom Blennerhasset, the defending champion, failed to secure one of the 16 spots in this week's match-play phase, as did Chris Low, another member of the Lothians side that defends the Scottish boys' area team title at Ballumbie Castle, Dundee on Sunday.
Blennerhasset paid a costly price for running up a triple-bogey 7 at his final hole of the day, the Marriott Dalmahoy player being one of two players to lose out on a countback among those on 147.
North Berwick's Low missed out by a fair bit on 151, while Euan Paterson from Bruntsfield Links also failed to make the top 16