Flawless Mark Loftus

leads 25 qualifiers

at West Kilbride

Former Scottish PGA champion Mark Loftus (Cowglen) turned in a flawless round of seven-under-par 64 to head the qualifiers at West Kilbride Golf Club today (Thursday) for the Volvo/Ayrshire Hospice 36-hole pro-am on August 10 and 11.
Loftus, pictured right by Andy Forman, birdied the short fourth, sixth, eighth, short ninth, 11th, 16th and 18th in halves of 32 (four under par) and 32 (three under) to win the £100 prize as leading qualifier by four shots.
Runner-up on 68 was Scott Herald (Mearns Castle) had a bogey either side - at the first and 17th - of a run of five birdies, at the third, seventh, 10th, 11th and 16th in halves of 35 and 33.
With only the leading 25 to qualify for the main event, there was a card countback featuring the nine players on the 73 mark. Only five qualified - Jamie Stevenson (Braehead), Kevin Phillips (Winterfield), Sean O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park), Scott Garrett (Irvine) and Derek Watters (Gourock).
The unlucky ones on 73 who were eliminated were: Graham Fox (East Kilbride), who will be the first reserve in the event of withdrawls, Neil Fenwick (Dunbar), James Clive (Carrick) and Neil Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh).

QUALIFIERS
Par 71
64 Mark Loftus (Cowglen).
68 Scott Herald (Mearns Castle).
69 James McKinnon (Irvine), Paul Wytrazek (Burnti9sland), James Erskine (Portpatrick Dunskey), Hamish Kemp (Bishopbriggs), Gareth Wright (Swanston Golf), Stewart Whiteford (Wellsgreen).
70 Greg Paxton (Ralston), Andrew Oldcorn (Kings Acre), Mark Kerr (unatt).
71 James McGhee (Turnhouse), Alastair Forrow (Whitecraigs), Alan E Reid (West Lothian), Campbell Elliott (Haggs Castle).
72 Paul Brookes (Pitreavie), David Fleming (Prestwick).
73 Jamie Stevenson (Braehead), Kevin Phillips (Winterfield), Sean O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park), Scott Garrett, Derek Watters (Gourock).

NON-QUALIFIERS INCLUDED
73 Graham Fox (East Kilbride), Neil Fenwick (Dunbar), James Clive (Carrick), Neil Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh).
74 Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon), Stuart Williamson (Kirkhill), Gareth Hardy (Belleisle), David Ross Nicol (Dundonald Links), Chris McCalman (unatt), Scott Gillespie (Burntisland).
75 Euan Cameron (Hamilton), Greig Hutcheon (Peterculter), Alistair Bown (Whitecraigs), Ross Neill (Drumpellier), Duncan Williamson (Kirkhill).
76 Ken Campbell (Machrihanish), Peter Kerr (Hayston), David Broadfoot (Dumfries & Co), Ian Graham (Crow Wood), Henry Wong (Wellsgreen), Paul Jamieson (Dunblane New), Terry Mathieson (Kings Acre), Gary McFarlane (Clober).
77 Ewan Davie (Dunblane New), Alan McCloskey (Bothwell Castle), Stewart Savage (Dalmuir), Anthony Mackrell (East Kilbride), Stephen Forbes (Deaconsbank).
78 Andrew Gibson (North Gailes), James Mooney (Kingscliff Golf Solutions), Steven Duncan (Balbirnie Park), Chris Campbell (Grantown on Spey), Alan Fleming (North Highland College).
79 Graeme Stewart (Gleddoch), Stephen McNally (unatt), Alastair MacKenzie (Duddingston), Paul Wilson (World of Golf), David Snodgrass (Hilton Park).
80 David MacMullen (Aberdour), Iain Donaldson (Meldrum House), Mark Finlayson (Edzell), Murray Urquhart (Spey Valley).]
81 John Ruth (Sandyhills), Gordon Stewart (Cawder), Stuart Morrison (Tain), Kenneth Monaghan (Bothwell Castle).