Turnberry's Scott Brown goes three strokes clear

Scott Brown reaps the benefit of playing with Sergio Garcia

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Scott Brown, a 19-year-old from Girvan, has been working hard on his short game since playing with Sergio Garcia in a pro-am and reaped the benefits on a blustery opening day of the Golf Data Lab Scottish Youths' championship at Monifieth.
As scores soared on the Angus course, Brown was the only player to break par, a two-under 69 giving him a three-shot cushion at the end of a day which saw the home-based competitors cope better in the testing conditions than a sizeable continental contingent in the field. Along with everyone else, the Turnberry player found the opening stretch troublesome, so much so that the sixth was the first green he managed to hit in regulation. But Brown chipped close at the opening five holes, holing two of them from about 40 feet at both the third and fifth.
"I have been concentrating on my short game since I played with Sergio Garcia in the Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am last year," he revealed afterwards. "It's in pretty good order as a result of that and, after chipping so well during a scratchy start, I felt I might be in for a decent day."
Spearheading the chasing pack after respectable 72s are a group of nine fellow Scots – William Bremner of Edzell, Longniddry's Michael Bacigalupo, Scott Gibson of Southerness, Crieff's Daniel Harrison, Fraser Thain from West Linton and Torrance House's Alan Welsh, Jack McDonald of Barassie, Wigtownshire County's Kyle McClung and Greg Smail of Craigielaw.
Bremner, almost a local boy, finished third last year, having also been runner-up in the Scottish Boys' Championship at Dunbar in 2007.
"It would be nice to add a gold medal to my collection," admitted the 21-year-old after one of the steadiest rounds of the day. After holing a 30-footer for a birdie at the first, he then dropped three successive shots before getting it back to just one-over for the round with a two-putt birdie at the 16th.
"It was tough out there – indeed, that was some 69," added Bremner of the leader's effort.
Bacigalupo, the son of well-known former Scottish rugby referee, Johnny, recovered well after being four-over after five holes, the highlight of his round being an eagle-3 at the last, a feat matched later in the day by 16-year-old Thain.
McClung was two-under after ten but let things slip with the wind at his back. "I played the hard bit well and the easy bit badly," said the 19-year-old.

FIRST ROUND
Par 71
1 BROWN, Scott (Turnberry) 69
T2 THAIN, Fraser (West Linton) 72
T2 WELSH, Alan (Torrance House) 72.
T2 BACIGALUPO, Michael (Longniddry) 72
T2 MCDONALD, Jack (Kilmarnock Barassie) 72
T2 GIBSON, Scott (Southerness) 72
T2 BREMNER, William (Edzell) 72
T2 HARRISON, Daniel (Crieff) 72
T2 SMAIL, Greg (Craigielaw) 72
T2 MCCLUNG, Kyle (Wigtownshire Co) 72
T11 FAIRBURN, Simon (Torwoodlee 73
T11 MOORE, Fraser (Glenbervie 73
T11 DAILY, Michael (Erskine 73
T14 SAVAGE, Jamie (Cawder 74
T14 SMITH, Marc (Troon Welbeck 74
T14 QUAGEBEUR, Robin (Belgium 74
T14 SPRAGGS, Patrick (Stowmarket) 74
T14 RHIND, Jordyn (Uphall) 74
T14 NEIL, Bradley (Blairgowrie) 74
T14 CAMPBELL, Andrew (Dumbarton) 74
T21 MILNE, Jordan (Elgin) 75
T21 STILL, Stefan (Germany) 75
T21 ROSS, Craig (Kirkhill) 75
T21 WALLACE, Andrew (Glenbervie) 75
T21 KAY, Daniel (Dunbar) 75
T21 LEITMANNSTETTER, Aaron (Germany) 75
T21 LOW, Chris (Tantallon) 75
T21 MACANDREW, Nick (Cullen) 75
T21 KEDDIE, Danny (Belton Park) 75
T21 MORRISSEY, Mark (Ireland) 75
T21 SALMINEN, Tuomas (Finland) 75
T32 CARR, Oliver (Ulverston) 76
T32 ROTTLUFF, Maximilian (Germany) 76
T32 DUNCAN, Graeme (Kingsknowe) 76
T32 KOLLOSS, Carl (Germany) 76
T32 OROZCO, Jose Maria (Spain) 76
T32 MARCHBANK, Greig (Dumfries & Galloway) 76
T32 BOLTON, Sandy (Goring & Streatly) 76
T32 JOHNSTON, Liam (Dumfries & Co) 76
T32 DAOUST, Sean (Belgium 76
T32 MCPHEE, Paul (King James VI 76
T42 DEEGAN, Shaun (Craigielaw 77
T42 MELVILLE, Iain (Glencorse 77
T42 WALZ, Maximilian (Germany 77
T42 SANT, Jack (Ladbrook Park 77
T42 PUTKONEN, Teemu (Finland 77
T42 BAIRD, Colin (Bothwell Castle 77
T42 MOMMAERTS, Bertrand (Belgium 77
T42 LAWRENCE, Dan (Ballumbie Castle) 77
T42 YOUNG, Scott Turnhouse) 77
T42 RAMSAY, Derek Elgin) 77
T52 NELSON, Cameron Nairn) 78
T52 PALMER, Andrew Chorley) 78
T52 SCOTT, Jack Deeside) 78
T52 FARRELL, Cameron (Cardross) 78
T52 WRIGHT, Jeff (Forres) 78
T52 ARTHUR, Jamie (Milnathort) 78
T52 LAVELLE, Sam (Lancaster) 78
T52 COLBECK, Nigel (Moor Allerton) 78
T52 WEST, Cameron (Scotscraig) 78
T52 SWEENEY, Aaron (Carnoustie) 78
T52 ROBERTS, Graham (Eaton) 78
T52 ECHIKSON, Samuel (Belgium) 78
T52 THOMSON, Mark (Grange) 78
T52 WIGHTMAN, Scott (Powfoot) 78
T66 BARRAS, Simon (Helensburgh) 79
T66 AURNHAMMER, Marvin (Germany) 79
T66 SCANLAN, Peter (Hamilton) 79
T66 HOWARD, Mike (Royal Birkdale) 79
T66 HOLMES, Kit (Hunstanton) 79
T66 GRANT, Darryn (Renfrew) 79
T66 ANDERSON, Josh (Leven) 79
T66 BROWN, Euan (Kilmarnock Barassie) 79
T66 SMITH, Steven (Marriott Dalmahoy) 79
T66 SCOTT, Ewan (St Andrews) 79
T66 BYRNE, Daniel (Dartford) 79
T66 BOYLE, Stuart (Harburn) 79
T66 STEWART, Greig (Crieff) 79
T66 MCGARVEY, Sean (Glencorse) 79
T66 ALLAN, Lawrence (Alva) 79
T81 HUISH, Oliver (North Berwick) 80
T81 REDFORD, Ian (St Andrews New) 80
T81 DUNTON, Adam (McDonald Ellon) 80
T81 CAPPI, Angus (Carnoustie) 80
T81 CRAWFORD, Euan (Kirkcaldy) 80
T81 BROOKS, Jack (Pleasington) 80
T87 MORGAN, Lee (Newbattle) 81
T87 O'NEIL, Conor (Pollok) 81
T87 BLENNERHASSETT, Tom Marriott (Dalmahoy) 81
T87 CLARKE, Rodger (Moray) 81
T87 MARR, Cameron (Musselburgh) 81
T87 MERCKX, Dewi (Belgium) 81
T87 RAUHALA, Atte (Finland) 81
T87 VAN DIJK, Menno (Netherlands) 81
T87 EDWARDS, Danny (Elgin) 81
T87 CLARKE, Fraser (Westhill) 81
T87 NEIL, Connor (Blairgowrie) 81
T87 TREASURER, Jamie (Inverness) 81
T87 HENDRICK, James (Pollok) 81
T100 STEWART, Calum (Brora) 82
T100 PYYKOLA, Henri (Finland) 82
T100 HARPER, Kristofer (Carnoustie) 82
T100 DINGWALL, Tom (Nairn Dunbar) 82
T104 BOWMAN, Grant (Monifieth) 83
T104 GAITTENS, Christopher (Fortrose & Rosemarkie) 83
T104 MACKAY, Euan (Craigielaw 83
T104 STEPHEN, Jamie (Aberdour 83
T104 STABLES, Scott (St Andrews New) 83
T109 MITCHELL, Reece (Downfield) 84
T109 MÜLLER, Phillip (Germany) 84
T109 MUNRO, Gordon (Fraserburgh) 84
T109 GALLAGHER, David (Glasgow) 84
T109 KANEV, Michael (Royal Musselburgh) 84
T114 PENNYCOTT, Malcolm (Whiting Bay) 85
T114 GRAHAM, Alistair (Crow Wood) 85
T116 HUGHES, Craig (Bearsden) 86
T116 RYAN, David (Ealing) 86
118 CAMPBELL, Ryan (Grangemouth) 87
119 LOCH, Andrew (Pumpherston) 90
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DQ BEATTIE, Neil (St Andrews) 73