Open Championship Local Final Qualifying

Byrne still burning it up - leader

at Western Gailes with a 68

Banchory amateur James Byrne's fantastic run of form continued at Western Gailes, Ayrshire yesterday in the first round of the 36-hole Open Championship Local Final Qualifying competitions.
With only four players from each of three venues - Glasgow Gailes and Kilmarnock Barassie - are the others - and 90 in each field, the odds against qualifying to join the championship field at Turnberry are very long indeed.
But Byrne, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, is in the pole position at halfway at Western Gailes with a three-under-par round of 68.
A Scot also leads at Glasgow Gailes - Elliot Saltman (Archerfield) on 67 - and it's Markus Brier, the Austrian pro who plays on the European Tour, who leads at Kilmarnock Barassie with a nine-under-par 64.
Elliot Saltman's older brother, Lloyd, winner of the Amateur Silver Medal in the last Open at St Andrews but struggling to make the grade as an amateur, is lying second at Barassie with a 66.
SCOREBOARD
GLASGOW GAILES
Par 71
67 E Saltman.
69 C Corrigan, J Gill, P Maddy, N Redfern, P Baker, E Little, C Gaunt, T Aiken.
70 J Mellor, J Abbot (am), M Davies, C Geraghty, D Higgins, S Barr.
Selected scores:
71 C Matheson, C Lee.
72 R Rafferty.
74 K Hutton, R Kellett (am).
75 D Kirkpatrick.
75 M Stewart (am).
76 C Doak.
77 J Lomas, J Gallagher.
WESTERN GAILES
Par 71
68 J Byrne (am).
69 C Balmaseda.
70 F Andersson Hed, D McCarthy, M Thompson, D Perrett, Z Scotland, D Whitnell (am), P O'Keefe, M Loftus.
Selected scores:
71 P Whiteford.
72 G Hutcheon.
73 A Oldcorn.
74 M Cunningham (am).
79 S Henry.
KILMARNOCK BARASSIE
Par 73
64 M Brier.
66 L Saltman.
67 M Quiros, I Walley.
68 G Dear (am), P Ellebye.
69 K McNicoll (am), J Elson, R Lee, D Gaunt.
70 T King (am), M Nixon (am), R Golding, D Greenwood, J Wilson (am), G Brand, G Wolstenholme, J Bevan, J M Olazabal.
Selected scores:
71 R Russell, M Kerr.
72 C Ronald, B Hume.
73 C Kelly.
74 M Daily (am).
78 J Cliff.