LLOYD SALTMAN'S DASH FROM KENT

TO GERMANY TO TAKE UP CHALLENGE

TOUR EVENT PLACE

The mystery over Lloyd Saltman's first-round disqualification at the PGA EuroPro Tour event, the Skycaddie European Championships at Hever Castle Golf Club, Kent has been solved.
The Lothians man was not disqualfied. He got a late call from the European Challenge Tour officials that a place was available in the ECCO Tour Championship, which starts at Green Eagle Golf Club, Winsten near Hamburg in Germany on Thursday.
So Saltman, who did play at Hever Castle, informed the EuroPro Tour officials that he was withdrawing from the remainder of the event to head for Germany as quickly as possible.

Incidentally, there will be nine other Scots in action at the Challenge Tour event - Chris Doak, Scott Jamieson, Craig Lee, Eric Ramsay, Jamie McLeary, Jack Doherty, Raymond Russell, George Murray and Callum Macaulay.
Archerfield Links’ Lee Harper, the 1999 Scottish boys’ match-play champion, led the 13 Scots in the field of over 130 at the end of the first day of the PGA EuroPro Tour event at Hever Castle GC.
The Musselburgh man shot a three-under-par 69 to be joint seventh behind the three pacemakers on 67, Englishmen James Heath, Adam Chamberlain and Robert Watkins.
Harper was heading for a clear lead when he birdied the second, fourth, long ninth, long 10th and short 12th but from a peak of five under par, he subsided with bogeys at the short 14th and 16th.
Lee is the only Scot in the leading 37. To find his next compatriot you have to go down to joint 38th to find Scott Hendry (The Carrick on Loch Lomond) with a 73.
Like Harper, Hendry did not play the closing holes well at all. He had birdied the first, fourth, long seventh and long 10th and dropped only one shot, at the third. Then he stumbled with a 4 at the short 14th and fell flat on his face with a triple bogey 8 at the long 17th.
Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw), on the 74 mark, had a 7 at the short 12th.
Elliot Saltman did play the second half well, birdieing the 10th and 18th and keeping bogeys off his card after he dropped shots at the first, second and sixth. He finished with a 73.
Young Zack Saltman was three over par after only three holes with a double bogey 6 at the first and a bogey at the third. He shot a 75, the same score as cackhanded former Scottish amateur champion John Gallacher (Swanston) who had double bogeys at the short eighth and short 14th.
Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey), Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) and Paul Doherty all had 76s.
Graham Rankin (Drumpellier) and John Henry (Clydebank and District) had 77s.
Kevin McAlpine (Alyth), winner of both the Scottish amateur match-play and stroke-play titles before he turned pro, had a 10-over-par 82 which included a 7 at the short eighth, a double bogey 5 at the short 12th and a double bogey 6 at the 15th. He shed eight shots on six holes from the 11th.
Englishman Gary Wolstenholme is in contention to win another PGA EuroPro Tour event – only days before he turns 50.
Wolstenholme reaches the milestone on Saturday and is still playing wonderful golf after a glittering amateur career that saw him win more caps for England than any other golfer, play in the Walker Cup five times and receive an MBE for services to golf.
He did not turn professional until he was 48 and he won his first EuroPro Tour in event earlier this year when he triumphed at Stoke-by-Nayland, Essex in July.
Wolstenholme (Carus Green GC) is in joint 14th position after an opening round of 70.
The three-day competition concludes on Thursday with £10,000 going to the winner and this could be one of Wolstenholme’s last events on the EuroPro Tour.
On Saturday he becomes eligible to compete on the European Seniors Tour alongside golfing legends including Bernhard Langer, Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam.
Wolstenholme has already signed up to play his first Seniors event – The Travis Perkins PLC Senior Masters at Woburn – at the start of September and will be at their Q School in November.
FIRST-ROUND LEADERS
Par 72
67 James Heath (Eng), Robert Watkins (Eng), Adam Chamberlain (Eng).
68 Graeme Clark (Eng). Justin Evans (Eng), James Hepworth (Eng).
Selected scores:
69 Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) (jt 7th).
70 Gary Wolstenholme (Eng) (jt 14th).
73 Scott Henry (The Carrick at Loch Lomond), Elliot Saltman (Aegon) (jt 38th).
74 Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) (jt 49th).
75 John Gallagher (Swanston), Zack Saltman (Aegon) (jt 59th).
76 Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey), Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie), Paul Doherty (Vale Hotel) (jt 79th).
77 Graham Rankin (Drumpellier), John Henry (Clydebank and Dist) (jt 101st).
82 Kevin McAlpine (Alyth) (jt 13th).