Thursday, July 29, 2010

Champion Law goes out but seeded Byrne, Stewart in last eight

By COLIN FARQUHARSON at Gullane
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Title-holder David Law bowed out in the fifth round today but the North-east still has three “runners” in Friday morning’s quarter-finals of the Allied Surveyors Scottish men’s amateur golf championship over the Gullane No 1 course, Lothian.
Top seed James Byrne from Banchory, John Duff (Newmachar) and Fraserburgh’s Jordan Findlay are all in the top half of the draw with Duff and Findlay due to meet for a place in the semi-finals.
Byrne moved impressively past two opponents in glorious sunshine.
And the Banchory 21-year-old was looking forward with a little bit of relish to the quarter-final tie againgast  Michael Smyth of Royal Troon.
“Michael beat me in the first round of this championship over his home course 12 months ago, and I’ve been watching his progress through the same quarter of the draw as me,” said Byrne, home on holiday from his golf scholarship at the top-ranked Arizona State University.
“I’m playing just as well as I was when I reached the final of the British championship along the road at Muirfield six weeks ago so I am right in the mood to get my own back on Michael.”
Byrne was three under par in winning his fifth round tie by one hold against man-in-form Allyn Dick, twice winner of the Scottish mid-amateur championship and victor in the recent Newlands Trophy 72-hole event at Lanark.
Michael Smyth will not go into the Byrne match short of confidence. He knocked out the seeded Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) by one hole to reach the quarter-finals.
“I was one under par and I had to hole some good putts over the last few holes to do it after I three-putted to lose the 15th and be pulled back to all square. I holed from 6ft for halves at the 16th and 17th and then got a winning birdie 3 at the last.
“I had small flies in both eyes – they were everywhere – when I played that eight-iron approach to within 3ft of the stick at the 18th. All I need is a good night’s sleep before I play James Byrne again.
“Playing Gullane is so tiring and I’m exhausted but beating James last year has been my golfing highlight so far and I’ve got nothing to lose playing him again. He’s the top seed, the favourite. Me? I never expected to get this far in the championship.”
Aberdeen student John Duff is another who, never in wildest dreams, did he think he would be playing in the quarter-finals of the “Scottish.”
“My previous claim to fame was that I beat Callum Macaulay, when he was Scottish amateur champion, over his home Tulliallian course when I was playing for North-east against Clackmannanshire,” said John
“I won at the 19th with a birdie 3 in the morning round against Paul Moultrie (Royal Troon) – and I did it again in the fifth round against Colin Baird (Bothwell Castle).”
The first hole at Gullane No 1 is 302yd long but, with the wind behind, it was within reach of the bigger hitters today. James Byrne drove the green with a No 3 wood in his tie against Dick and holed the putt for an eagle 2 to cap Dick's birdie 3 from a bunker!
“I used my driver both times and two-putted from about 30ft morning and afternoon,” said Duff who will complete his Masters degree in Computing in September.
Duff had been two up in the early stages against Baird but lost the fifth and seventh and it was the tightest of encounters after that. The Newmachar man did get his nose in front briefly at the 15th but bogeyed the short 16th to be pulled back. Halves at the 17th and 18th set up a repeat of his morning coup de grace at the 19th.
John will be the underdog against Jordan Findlay who seems to have recaptured the game that made him such an outstanding prospect when he twice reached the final of the British boys championship – and won one of them – four or five years ago.
“I’ve made a lot of changes in my swing under the guidance from coach Bob Torrance and it’s all come together over the last few weeks. I hit the ball pretty straight which is one of the reasons why my record has been better in match-play rather than stroke-play events.”
Commeting on his loss of form over his last two years at East Tennessee State University, the Broch man said that golf had played second fiddle as he concentrated on getting a degree at the end of his four-year course in the States.
"I still want to make it to the European Tour eventually but it's nice to know that I do have a university qualification in Business Management that I can fall back on if need be," said Jordan whose American girl friend Tara - who was a successful tennis player at East Tennessee State - has been pulling his bag round Gullane's slopes.
Findlay beat Myles Cunningham (Craigielaw) by 6 and 5 without having to play at his best. Despite that he was roughly one under par for the holes played with three birdies and two bogeys.
In the other quarter-finals Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck), Scottish boys match-play champion in 2008 and the only other seed apart from Byrne to reach the last eight, plays Jordan McColl (Scotscraig). Stewart, who says his putter hasn’t warmed up yet, reckons he is 16 under par for his last four ties.
Seventeen-year-old Liam Johnston (Dumfries and County) knocked out the holder of the title, 19-year-old David Law (Hazlehead) by 3 and 1 with three under par figures.
Law had the edge in the early stages but Johnston, making his debut in the championship, never trailed again after winning the fourth with a 25ft putt for a birdie 2 at the fourth and taking the fifth with a par after the Aberdonian ran up a double bogey 6.
Johnston’s lead hovered between one and two holes until the vital 16th where Law three-putted to go two down again. The Dumfries teenager then finished a quality tie by holing from 20ft for a birdie 3 at the 17th.
Johnston plays Stephen Neilson (Dunbar) for a place in the semi-finals. Neilson beat the No2 seed Ross Kellett (Colville Park) by 3 and 2 in the morning round.

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