PATERSON CLEARS FIRST HURDLE IN TITLE DEFENCE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Aberdeen’s George Paterson, the defending champion, qualified in joint eighth position for the match-play stages of the Scottish senior men’s amateur stroke-play golf championship over the Montgomerie course, Kinross today .
Northern Golf Club member Paterson, the winner at Newmachar 12 months ago, had steady rounds of 79 and 78 for 157 over two days of contrasting weather - a terrible day of wind and rain for the first round when the CSS was 75 non-counting and bright sunshine for the second when the CSS came down to 74, two over par.
Paterson, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, plays Jim Watt from Edzell in the first round of the match-play on Wednesday.
Scott MacDonald (Dunfermline), winner of the Scottish seniors’ stroke-play title a couple of weeks ago, is still on course for the double. He qualified with ease on 157 (78-79) and plays David A Millar (St Andrews New).
The leading qualifier by six strokes was Colin Christy (Kilmacolm) with a pair of 74s for 148. The second and third seeds are Ian Taylor (Royal Burgess) (80-74) and Tony Stafford (Gleneagles) (77-77), both on 154.
The competitor who actually had the lowest stroke-play aggregate, local man Richard Campbell (Kinross) with scores of 72 and 74 for 146, discovered, belatedly but in time not to be included in the match-play draw, that he was not available to play in the later stages of the tournament.
The match-play stages will feature one round on Wednesday to bring the field down to 16 players, followed by two rounds on Wednesday and Thursday.
MATCH-PLAY QUALIFIERS
Par 144 (2x72). CSS 75 74
148 Colin Christy (Kilmacolm) 74 74.
154 Ian Taylor (Royal Burgess) 80 74, Tony Stafford (Gleneagles) 77 77.
155 Gordon MacDonald (Callander) 80 75, John Johnston (Lanark) 78 77, Bill Erskine (Kilsyth Lennox) 77 78.
156 Stephen Ellis (Innellan) 79 77.
157 James Kinloch (Cardross) 81 76, George Paterson (Northern) 79 78, John Fraser (Royal Burgess) 79 78, David J Miller (Kilmarnock Barassie) 78 79, John McDonald (Cowglen) 78 79.
158 Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead) 82 76, Scott MacDonald (Dunfermline) 81 77, Richard Gray (Cowglen) 79 79, Derek Murphy (Kinross) 79 79, Bob Stewart (Tulliallan) 77 81.
159 Iain Stewart (The Curragh) 84 75, David A Millar (St Andrews New) 85 76, Jim Paton (Kirkintillooch) 80 79, Jalil Aman (Grangemouth) 78 80.
160 Ian Campbell (Kinross) 82 78.
162 James T Johnston (Northumberland) 84 78, Jim Watt (Edzell) 84 78, Keith Bruce (Edzell) 82 80.
163 Les Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) 81 82.
164 Andrew Campbell (Kinross) 87 77, George Payne (Prestbury) 83 81.
165 Keith Howie (West Kilbride) 85 80, Allan Cameron (Gourock) 79 86.
166 Alistair Fiddes (Deeside) 83 83.
167 John W Johnston (Royal Aberdeen) 79 88.
MATCH-PLAY DRAW
Christy v John W Johnston, Murphy v R Stewart, Kinloch v Bruce, Paterson v Watt, G McDonald v Howie, Pirie v Paton, John Johnston v Payne, J McDonald v Aman.
Taylor v Fiddes, R T Gray v I Stewart, Ellis v Fowler, Fraser v James T Johnston, Stafford v Cameron Scott MacDonald v D A Millar, Erskine v Andrew Campbell, D J Miller v I Campbell.